The Wolf with the Red Roses
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Shunsui Kyoraku is the most amazing and unusual man she has ever met.  He's charming, handsome, and too good to be true.  Maybe he isn't even human. OC/AU/Mature content will occur in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Akane sat at the end of the bar feeling ridiculous for being alone and drinking - as if alcohol ever repaired a broken heart. How desperate and pathetic is a woman who comes to a bar and drinks alone? She was not desperate – just depressed. She was not pathetic – well, that adjective could fit because she was definitely feeling melancholy. Ending a relationship was never a good thing, and this one had been particularly bad. The man in question dumped her to ask another woman to marry him a few days later. Now that is a self-esteem builder!

"Miss, this drink is for you," the bartender said, sliding another margarita on the rocks in front of her. He pointed toward the opposite end of the bar. "From the gentleman right there."

"Thank you," she replied, craning her neck to see the mystery man. She smiled when her hazel eyes met a pair of steel gray ones – what an interesting color. He was a little scruffy looking with a slight overgrowth of hair shading his chin and cheeks. He had long, wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Despite looking like a surfer who just walked off the beach, he was dressed in an expensive looking business suit with a thick gold chain around his neck and a gold pinky ring. Quite a flamboyant man but good looking. What man doesn't like to show off how much money he makes whether he buys gaudy jewelry or flashy sports cars? Conspicuous consumption is king especially if you want to attract young and beautiful women. Money never had been a big draw for her; she had plenty of money of her own as a business owner. To her dismay, she guessed by the worlds standards, she was not particularly young anymore either. Over the hill at thirty. How sad. She lowered her eyes and shifted uncomfortably when he stood up to leisurely amble her way. She didn't know whether to be irritated or apprehensive with the slow, confident stroll. He gave her a million dollar smile that made her heart skip a beat like a twelve year old girl with her first crush.

"Hello, my dear," he said in a smooth deep voice that made her want to melt. He mounted the barstool beside her, his knees brushing hers when he turned to face her.

Oh, my, what has landed within her grasp tonight? DANGER! DANGER! Bells and whistles should be screaming a shrill alarm, but she heard nothing. 'All right. You get whatever you deserve you stubborn dumb ass,' a voice nagged from somewhere deep within the recesses of her common sense.

"My name is Shunsui Kyoraku," he said, putting his big hand out for her to shake it.

"My name is Akane Kato," she replied, putting her hand into his huge smooth palm. She felt a blush creep up her neck as he squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes.

"Very nice to make your acquaintance." So well-spoken and confident, bordering on cocky. He was reluctant to release her hand so he brought it up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it.

"Thank you for the drink. And the company," she added, smiling at him. She lay her hand on the highly polished bar after he let it go.

"You're far too beautiful to be alone." He placed his hand over hers, staring into her eyes.

Oh, boy. This guy was smooth as silk with a voice to match. He reached to push a stray curl of chocolate brown behind her ear. His fingertips brushed across her cheek. She couldn't help but notice the huge gold watch encrusted with diamonds on his wrist.

"What is your occupation?" Akane inquired.

"I'm an investment broker. And you?" he asked, sipping his drink.

"I own a bakery. Kato's Bake Shoppe," she answered, wondering why she told him so many specific details. She could have just said she works in a bakery.

"An independent, well-educated business woman. Not a gold digger. Beautiful, polite, lady like. I've stumbled across someone quite unique and pleasing," he said, making heat rise to her cheeks with the high praise.

So charming. He's the type who could literally charm the pants right off of a woman. Was that his motive? Somehow she did not think so.

"Would you like to come home with me?" Shunsui queried in a surprisingly straightforward manner. Then again...

"I can't. I'm not that kind of woman." Oh, but she wanted to be. His smooth words and sensual voice tempted her to be that kind of woman.

"Very nice. I honestly did not think you were. I'll see you again soon, Ms. Kato. It was lovely finding a pearl among swine," he said, kissing the back of her hand. After standing, he bowed slightly.

"Likewise, Mr. Kyoraku. How will you find me?" she asked, waiting for him to request her phone number.

"I'll find you. I have a weakness for sweet things."

He was not the only one who had a weakness for sweet things.

* * *

><p>Akane was sliding a tray of cupcakes into the glass display case when a gray pair of eyes on the other side caught hers. She stood up with a smile on her face to see her suave Romeo from last night.<p>

"I told you I would find you. After all, you made it easy for me and told me where to look," Shunsui said, following her with his eyes as she walked around the counter to talk to him.

Akane was suddenly aware of her appearance and how horrid it must be. For work she always swept up her unruly brown curls in a ponytail, never wore make up, and her official uniform was jeans and a t shirt. She stayed in the back baking most of the day so what was the point of getting dressed up just to get messed up with heat and sweat. She nervously patted down her hair which she was sure had already frizzed into a puffy halo around her head.

"You're beautiful," he assured her as if reading her mind. He produced a single red rose from behind his back, tracing her lips with it before he handed it to her. "A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.*"

Akane took the rose from him putting her hand over her silly heart that was fluttering like a butterfly in her chest trying to take flight from the sweet words. She inhaled the scent of the rose feeling slightly dizzy from the strong perfume of the flower and romantic words from her admirer.

"I picked that just for you from my own flower garden. You really will have to come see it soon," he said, taking her hand in his. "I'll see you tomorrow, my darling."

"Good-bye, Shunsui," she murmured.

"Never say good-bye, my darling. Good-bye implies I will never see you again. Until next time."

Akane had never before been admonished so gently or with such ardent words. She felt her skin tingle all over her body as his soft lips pressed to the back of her hand. After flashing her flirtatious, lopsided grin, he was gone.

"Oh, Miss Akane," her dreamy eyed employee sighed, propping herself up on the counter. "He was wonderful. He made me hot, and he wasn't even talking to me."

"Momo!" she cried out in surprise at the young girl's brazenness.

"Who was that?" Rangiku, her partner and best friend, inquired when she came from the back.

The excited black haired girl relayed the whole exchange in a rapid monologue before Akane could say a single word.

"Is that the man you told me about from last night?" she asked Akane when the girl was done. "Damn!" she muttered under breath after her friend nodded affirmatively. "I would have liked to seen him for myself."

"Oh, he will be back tomorrow!" Momo blurted happily.

"Really?" Her blond eyebrow shot up inquisitively. "Be sure to come get me if I'm not out here."

Akane rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. She wondered why her romantic life had suddenly become so fascinating. Apparently, it had to do with the debonair and alluring man who had taken an interest in her.

* * *

><p>"Miss Akane!" Momo bellowed from the front counter.<p>

"Momo! How many times have I told you –" Akane's words immediately died away when saw her silver tongued devil standing at the counter with another lovely red rose.

"There's someone who wants to see you," she added in a much lower volume.

"Thank you." Yeah, thanks a lot for the heads up, kid.

"Good morning, my dear," he murmured in his velvety voice that soothed her ears and her body as it flowed over her.

Akane was too mesmerized by him to notice her young employee waving wildly through the kitchen door for Rangiku to come to the front.

"In the garden of thy heart, plant naught but the rose of love*," Shunsui said, stroking her cheek with the velvety flower before putting it into her hand.

If this kept up, she would have to bring a change of clothes to work with her every day. He made her sweat more than the hot ovens ever could. This was a heat that erupted from the inside out and made her feel as if she were going to burst into flames. Men like this just didn't exist. Where did he come from and what exactly did he want from her? Why did he want her? He was being awfully patient and cunning about getting whatever it is he wanted.

"Will you come to my house for dinner Friday night?" he asked her, holding her hands in his.

Akane bit her lip as she looked into his amazing gray eyes that looked silver today from the light gray suit he was wearing. Finally, he was getting to the point. "Yes, of course."

"Wonderful. I can hardly wait to get you alone," he said, gliding his fingers over her chin and jaw, then down her neck to rest on her shoulder. His eyes momentarily took on a fierce gleam that she discounted as a surge of hormones from arousal.

'I bet,' Akane thought to herself. She thought he was going to kiss her right there in middle of her shop for a second, and he did – but a quick, innocent kiss on the cheek. The overgrown five o'clock shadow on his face was soft and tickled her cheek as it brushed over her skin.

"Until tomorrow," he said, grazing her forehead with his lips that was almost a kiss.

All three women stared after him, sighing loudly in unison when the door closed behind him.

"Oh, damn," Rangiku murmured, breaking into giggles. "You're in deep crap Akane."

"Thanks. I honestly didn't know," she snapped back sarcastically.

"Oh, yes. Miss Akane's been aware she's in deep shit from the first day he came in here!" Momo exclaimed, causing both women to yell at her for the expletive she used.

"How could you not fall in love with that? Why are you so afraid to just get carried and fall in love?" Rangiku asked. Her and Momo both propped up on their elbows with their fists on their cheeks to stare out of the door as if they were daydreaming.

"It's not falling in love that frightens me. It's that sudden stop at the bottom when it's over that I hate," Akane mused out loud.

"Don't think about it. Just enjoy the trip," her friend advised.

* * *

><p>The next day brought another visit and another rose. Her audience of two was in attendance awaiting today's performance with baited breath.<p>

"Have you ever watched a rose as it fades away; the color becomes deeper as the petals dry. That's how my love for you deepens as the days go by.*"

Oh, brother. The four letter word already? Yet she could not make her heart stop beating so fast. An audible sigh escaped the onlookers so Akane slid them a quick glare.

"You have the most amazing eyes," she commented, sniffing the rose and immediately experiencing a heady almost giddy feeling.

"The better to see you with, my love," Shunsui countered, smiling at her.

Had his canine teeth always been that prominent? Akane shook her head. She was going crazy, but she already knew that. Each day brought her one step closer to falling off the edge into something akin to emotional suicide – falling in love.

* * *

><p>Akane was in the back, piping icing on a wedding cake when he arrived the next morning. She put the icing bag down, accidently squeezing out a big dollop. In a hurry and without thinking, she whisked it off the metal table with her finger and stuck it in her mouth before rushing out front. His grin seemed particularly big this morning. His dark gray eyes sparkled with amusement.<p>

"You've got something…" Shunsui said, almost chuckling as he tried to point it out on his own face. He grabbed her hand and leaned forward to her. "Here."

Akane nearly fainted when she felt his warm wet tongue lick off the icing she had smeared near her bottom lip. She was not the only one overwhelmed by the unexpected and very sensuous act; the two fan girls had to run to the back and stifle their squeals. Her whole body felt like a single oversensitive nerve after that. His warm breath on her cheek caused a typhoon of arousal to be set off within her.

"I knew you'd taste sweet," he whispered, putting his hands on her shoulders. His thumb gently stroked over her madly pulsing carotid artery in her neck. "Love is sweeter than any rose. Love pricks you far deeper than any thorn.*"

Akane tightened her already gritted teeth to prevent herself from gaping. She did not want to think about pricks of any kind right now. She received a kiss on the cheek and her rose before he turned on his heel to walk away. Her heart stopped when he turned back at the door to give her a big smile that showed all of his front teeth.

_My, what big teeth you have?_

_The better to eat you with, my dear._

* * *

><p>Today was the day of the big dinner date. All three women were on pins and needles, standing at the door to await Prince Charming's arrival. Even Momo had arrived early today to assist with getting the baking completed so they could wait for him. The usual time came and went without a visit. Thirty minutes later, Akane began to feel the familiar sting of disappointment of being let down by a love interest.<p>

"Well, back to work, ladies. I've got a wedding cake to decorate," she announced, getting up from her seat in the corner where she was sulking. How painfully ironic.

"Here he comes," Momo announced, then a bemused expression wiped out her smile. "I think it's him. It looks like a bouquet of roses with legs."

"Well, duh! Who else would it be?" Rangiku snapped, opening the door for him since he had his arms full.

"Good morning, ladies," Shunsui greeted them all.

"Good morning," Rangiku and Momo replied in unison.

"Good morning, my sweet," he called to Akane when she appeared beside him so he could see her.

"What is all this? Not just one today?" she asked, taking the crystal vase from him to sit it on the counter.

"Not just one. I'm sorry for being late. I was busy picking those for you and got carried away," he explained. Getting carried away seemed to be a habit for him. "If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime.*"

"You're amazing," she commented, careful to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"I'm glad you think so. I think you have bewitched me, my darling. You have cast a spell on me that I cannot get out of nor would I want to," he said, sliding his fingers along her jawline to cup her face in his hands. "Until tonight, my love."

This time her did kiss her on the lips. It was a brief, but intoxicating kiss that left her breathless. All three women gaped as they watched him walk away.

"Oh, yeah, you are so screwed, my friend," Rangiku snorted looking at the dumbfounded expression on Akane's face.

"Yeah," agreed Momo. "I got the feeling someone is going to be screwed in the literal sense tonight!"

"Momo!" the two women yelled at her in unison.

"The things that come out of your mouth," Akane admonished with a shake of her head. She knew the kid was right. Tonight she would give herself to that man. She would offer him anything he asked; even her heart.

* * *

><p>*Quote 1 by Leo Buscaglia Quote 2 by Bahá'u'lláh/ Qu Quote 3 by Unknown/ Quote 4 by Unknown/Quote 5 Swedish Proverb


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Akane jumped when her doorbell rang. She smoothed her hands over her very plain yet elegant red silk dress; it tied at her shoulders and skimmed her body all the way down to her black high heel clad feet. She hoped he did not think she had worn a night gown in anticipation of other things. Her heart beat fast as she moved to the door to open it.

"You look lovely, my darling," Shunsui said, eyeing her with an appreciative stare that bordered on lecherous. He was a man after all so she couldn't really blame him since all she was wearing was a thin piece of silk. He leaned forward to kiss her briefly on her shiny red lips. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, of course," she responded, offering him her hand to lead her out the door. She walked slowly because her knees felt so weak. A single red rose with a note attached lay on the leather seat when he opened the door of his expensive luxury car. She picked up the long stemmed rose, holding it to her nose as she slid into the seat. She had grown accustomed, almost addicted, to that wonderfully intoxicating, slightly dizzy feeling she experienced from the scent of the roses. Her fingers shook as she opened the note to read it.

_In the orchard and rose garden, I long to see your face._

_In the taste of sweetness, I long to kiss your lips._

_In the shadows of passion, I long for your love.*_

Damn! Akane closed her eyes, holding the note and the rose to her chest. She could virtually feel herself falling for him as warmth bloomed in her chest and spread over her body. Her skin prickled with awareness where he rested his hand on her thigh. She opened her eyes and reached down to lace her small delicate fingers with his strong thick ones.

"I want to show you my garden when we get to the house. I would like for my roses to see you," he said, turning his head to give her an ardent smile that heated her blood. "The one who will own them like you own my heart."

Akane did not realize she was holding her breath until her lungs began to ache. She slowly exhaled, forcing herself to take long deep breaths. Her eyes widened when they stopped in front of a black iron gate guarded by two six foot tall lions on the top of towering cement columns. A high and wide cement wall that reminded her of the ones built around castles surrounded his home. She watched as the gates slowly parted and swung open. A circular stone driveway, with a fountain and several red rose bushes in the middle, led to the front of a massive hulking mansion. This man seemed beyond obsessed with the roses. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from gaping at the gorgeous and bigger than life home.

Akane took his hand when he opened her door to help her out of the car. She felt like a fairytale princess. This whole scenario had a decidedly surreal feeling to it, and she could not help but wonder when reality would come crashing in. Rangiku accused her of being too practical for her own good and often sacrificing the present to think about the future. Maybe she was right. What could be so wrong with just enjoying the moment and getting carried away with it? She followed her tall, handsome host up the front steps as he opened the door to his house to lead her inside. A massive foyer complete with chandelier and marble floors greeted her when they walked in. It reminded her of the stuffy, formal mansions she had seen pictures of in so many magazines. Very aesthetically pleasing yet not very friendly and inviting.

"Follow me, darling," he said, leading her through the house to a pair of French doors that opened onto a large veranda. Beyond that was a labyrinth of rose bushes in every different color imaginable that stretched across most of the back yard.

"This is amazing," she gasped.

"Come walk with me," Shunsui invited her, holding his hand out to her.

Akane allowed him to lead her across the veranda and stone walkway that led to entrance of the maze. She was glad he knew where he was going when he led her through all of the twists and turns. She listened carefully as he pointed out different roses and gave their names while they slowly strolled through the bushes that had been cultivated into gorgeous living walls. They came to what she assumed was the middle of the labyrinth where an imposing stone table took up the center of the area. There was a large bush, almost a tree, of red roses behind the table. Their lovely perfume filled the area and made her whole body tingle as she breathed in their remarkable scent. Smaller tables with chairs were also in the clearing along with a fountain. She was surprised when he led her to the huge table. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest when his large hands circled her waist and lifted her onto it.

"What do you think, my darling?" he asked, grazing her face with his fingertips as he pushed her long flowing hair behind her ear.

"It's the most marvelous thing I've ever seen. I'm simply awestruck. There really aren't words to describe how I feel when I look at it," she said, looking into his eyes when she felt his breath on her throat. Heat rushed through her body from the way he was looking at her with a deep, intense longing in his eyes.

"I know exactly what you mean," he murmured, his voice deep and seductive in her ears.

"Shunsui, I-"she began but he pressed his finger to her lips to stop her. The warm breeze of the balmy summer evening blew across her skin raising goose bumps over her entire body. Her fingers reached up to brush back stray strands of hair from his face as they stared into each other's eyes in the eerie silence of the garden. Her fingers slid through his hair which was loose and flowed down his back in long waves.

"What would you give to me, Akane? How much would you allow me to take from you right now?" he inquired, his desire laden voice raspy. "What do you want from me in return?"

Akane pulled him closer, squeezing his hips between her knees. Her finger traced his lips causing lustful desire to cloud his dark gray eyes. "Will you give me your mouth?" she asked in a whisper, leaning toward him.

"Yes," he replied, pressing his mouth against hers.

Akane moaned as he his lips moved gently against hers in a tentative, undemanding kiss. She was disappointed when he broke the kiss and moved back slightly to look at her. She held on to his shoulders, hooking her ankles together behind his back as she enclosed his waist.

"What else would you ask of me?" he inquired, sliding his fingertips down her cheeks.

"A smile," she requested, staring at his prominent canines when he smiled. "Your teeth." She gasped when he pulled her against him and tenderly nipped the sensitive flesh beneath her earlobe. _Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?_ She could feel his jaw muscles fluttering against her cheek as he pressed his face against hers. Her cheek slid against the amazingly silky soft hair on his face as she turned her face to kiss the spastically working muscle. "Your jaws."

Akane's belly tightened with arousal when he made a sound that was a distinct growl. She could feel his throat vibrating against her hand that was pressed to it. Her body began to tremble with a growing hunger. Her eyes met his and she could see the same appetite there. "Would you give me your hunger?"

"Yes," he moaned, almost whining like a dog as he pulled her against him.

Akane gasped when she felt the proof of his hunger pressed against her aching womanhood. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She moved her hips, rubbing against the bulge below his waist when she asked, "Would you starve without me?"

"Yes," he answered, sliding his hands under her dress that was already pushed up to her thighs.

Akane's fingers began to slowly release the buttons on his shirt when his lips moved back to hers. She opened the white dress shirt, pushing it and his jacket off together. Her hands slid over her chest and she was shocked by how hairy he was. She pulled her mouth from his to look at his broad muscular chest to see it and his belly were covered with a thick coating of hair. It was not coarse or wiry like most chest hair. It was soft and velvety not at all unpleasant under her fingertips, just shocking to see.

"Does it disgust you? Do you want to leave?" he inquired, lowering his eyes to avoid hers.

"No. I like it," she assured him and she did. She untied the bows at her shoulders, lowering her dress to her waist to reveal her breasts to him. She pulled him tightly against her, pushing her breasts against his astoundingly hairy chest. It tickled and it teased and it felt really good as her hardened nipples scraped against the hard contours of his well-developed pectoral muscles. She wiggled around a bit, tightening her legs around him. She smiled when a low whine escaped him. Her lips moved to his ear to whisper the next question as her fingers rested on the button of his dress pants. "Would you offer me your hunger?"

"Yes," he whispered, kissing her as she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He moaned against her lips as she reached inside to grasp his hard member and pull it out.

Akane raised her hips when his thumbs hooked over the elastic of her underwear to slide it off. She already knew the answer to the next question, but she asked it anyway. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," he answered, staring into her eyes as he pushed into her willing body. An expression somewhere between pleasure and pain twisted his face as his eyes fluttered closed.

Akane leaned back on her hands, raising her hips so he could enter her completely. She was shivering despite the warm night air that surrounded them.

"Are you all right, my love?" he asked, feeling her body shivering.

"Yes. I-I just want you so m-much," she stuttered. She threw back her head and cried out when he moved inside of her. Her hand slid up his furry belly, pulling the hair slightly as she twisted her fingers into it. Without a doubt he was the most interesting and unusual man she had ever met. She sat up, wrapping her arms around him to press his warm fuzzy chest to hers. There was something about him that just drew her to him. Even though she thought she would be repulsed by all the hair, it instead enthralled and excited her.

"I knew you are the one I've been searching for," he whispered in her ear as he slowly moved in and out of her. "I knew you had to be my mate."

Akane ignored the strange reference to her as a mate. He could not be referring to marriage already. He struck her as something animalistic and wolf-like between the overgrown canine teeth and the shocking amount of hair on his body. She held him close as he made love to her and lavished kisses on her face, neck, and shoulders.

"I love you," he whispered, sliding his hands under her behind to pull her into him as he began to thrust harder and faster.

Akane buried her face against his chest, the soft hair tickling her nose and cheeks as he ravished her body with pleasure, indulging the hunger he had stirred in her. A distinct heat and tightness started to build deep within her as he came closer to releasing the pent up energy of his arousal. She cried out as he moved faster, holding her tightly against him. Her lips pressed against his throat, feeling it vibrate with a deep guttural growl of pleasure. She raked her fingernails down his back, shocked to find it covered with hair. She leaned back to look at him, seeing his canine teeth were longer and pressing into his bottom lip despite his lips being parted slightly.

"Open your eyes, Shunsui. Look at me," Akane ordered gently. What she saw took her breath away. They had changed into a liquid silver color and virtually glowed.

"I'm sorry, Akane. I'm sorry for not telling you what I am," he apologized, pushing into her hard as he leaned forward to hold the back of her head.

"What are you?" she gasped, crying out as he moved harder and faster within her to push her to an orgasm.

"What do you think?" he inquired, throwing back his head and howling loudly when he released in side of her.

"Oh, my god!" she screamed with shock as much as passion when her body shuddered and convulsed from the sudden orgasm that sent shock waves of pleasure through her. Her body trembled as she lay underneath him, feeling his hot breath against her chest and neck. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No," he answered, pressing a kiss to her throat. "I love you. I want to be with you."

"I'm confused. I don't understand," she said, pressing her palm to her forehead. When did sanity flee? How did she get here in crazy town with the mayor standing in front of her? He thinks he's a werewolf?

"I'll explain everything in time. You need to get over the initial shock first. We will go eat the dinner that has been prepared for us. There's a very rare steak waiting for me."

Better a steak than her for dinner. But of course, she had been the appetizer. 

* * *

><p>*Poem by Rumi<p>

Garden scene dialogue was inspired by the spoken word intro by Jim Steinman and Marcia McClain to the song _You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)_ by Meat Loaf from his 1977 album Bat Out of Hell, written by Jim Steinman.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I don't eat people. I don't seduce and kill helpless young women," Shunsui said. A lecherous grin curled his lips before her raised his very amused eyes to hers. "Well, I might seduce women, but only to pleasure them."

Akane covered her smile with her hand as he slid his hand up her bare thigh. They were lying in his four poster canopy bed cuddled into each other's arms after having had sex for dessert after dinner. What a wonderful way to begin and end a meal.

"It's actually a condition that has run in my family for many generations. It only effects the men. No one was bitten by a werewolf. The reason is not that simple," he said, offering no further explanation.

Akane let it go and did not push for a further explanation. She was close to information overload anyway just trying to wrap her head around the fact that he is a werewolf. It's not every day that a woman finds out the attractive man who has swept her off her feet and stolen her heart is a mythical creature. Her hand moved over his excessively hairy upper body. Now she knew why he always wore his expensive business suits complete with the jacket despite the summer heat.

Shunsui pulled her tightly against him. "It really doesn't bother you that I'm so hairy?"

"No. I like it," she responded enthusiastically, running her fingers through the thick fur on his taut abs. A nasty little grin twisted her lips before she asked, "You don't mind if I pet you, do you?"

"Only if I can return the favor," he murmured, placing his hand over her breast and rubbing across the nipple with his thumb.

"Can I ask a few questions?" she inquired, waiting until he nodded to proceed. "What about the silver thing? Like it takes a silver bullet to kill a werewolf?"

"Well hell, any bullet will hurt us, silver or otherwise. Duh!" he teased, tickling her ribs.

"Okay, one more question. Do you transform into a wolf on full moon nights?" she asked, surprised when he abruptly grew very serious.

"I don't transform into a four legged canine, no," he answered, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the pillows. "I do get very violent so there are certain measures that have to be taken."

Akane snuggled against him, feeling his rigid body relax when her hands stroked his furry chest and belly. She did not press this issue either from the adverse reaction he had. He had already told her that he would explain everything over time. She knew she would never fully understand all of this anyway.

"Stay with me," Shunsui said unexpectedly, holding her firmly in his arms. He turned to look at her stunned face.

"I will stay tonight," she replied, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion when he began to shake his head.

"No. I want you to stay with me forever. Be mine. You're the one I've been searching for all these years," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers in a sublime kiss that relayed the longing in his heart to be with her permanently.

Akane was taken aback and did not know what to do. What she wanted to do was throw caution to the wind and do as he requested by staying here with him and walking away from her life. However, there was no way she could do that. First of all because it was just stupid. Second of all she had what she deemed a great life that had taken her many years to build. "I want you to be a part of my life, a big part of it, but you can't be all of it," she said, kissing him again.

"I understand," he rejoined, kissing the inside of her wrist. He held it against his lips feeling her blood pulse through her body. "You are right. We both need our lives beyond each other. I still want you to be mine forever."

"I never said I wouldn't be," she pointed out, running her fingers through his long hair. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Of course. Ask me anything." He held her against his chest as she looked into his eyes.

"Are you immortal?" Akane inquired, biting her lower lip as she waited for the answer.

"No. I have a longer life span than the typical human, but I will die," he answered, pulling her lips to his.

"One more question?" she begged holding up her index finger to signify just one.

"How many one more questions are you going to have?" he sighed, rolling his eyes in mock impatience.

"You'll like this one," she assured him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Will you make love to me again?"

"I'm glad you asked," he chuckled, pulling her on top of him. "That is a definite yes." 

* * *

><p>"Well?" Rangiku eagerly demanded popping up from behind the counter after Akane walked into the bakery.<p>

"Rangiku!" she exclaimed, holding her hand over her wildly beating heart. "Were you lying there in wait for me?"

"Yes. How is Mr. Wonderful?" her friend inquired.

"Long, strong, and can go all night," Akane crudely replied because that was the answer her nosey friend was fishing for anyway.

"Wow! Really?" Momo screeched, nearly throwing the kitchen door off the hinges as she burst through it.

"Momo! What in the hell are you doing here so early?" Akane asked, taken aback by the young girl's presence. She did not even know teenagers were capable of waking up before the crack of noon on a Saturday.

"No wonder you look so happy today," she commented, making her boss blush deep red like the rose she carried in her hand. "Oooooh, another one," the girl cooed, grabbing the vase they now kept on hand underneath the front counter for the roses.

"Will you admit you've taken the plunge and fallen head over heels for him?" Rangiku asked, giving her friend a piercing stare with her sky blue eyes.

"I will admit nothing," Akane answered flouncing off to the kitchen in a mock huff.

"So when do I need to start making the wedding cake?" she called after her.

"Don't be such an idiot!" she responded, tying her apron around her waist. "That won't happen for at least six months."

"What?" the other two yelled in unison.

"Oh, you two are so gullible," she laughed.

"That was mean," Momo pouted. "I think you'd be a gorgeous bride."

"There's only one problem with weddings," Akane remarked, stacking the cooled chocolate chip cookies on a tray.

"What's that?" Rangiku queried.

"There's a marriage that comes with it," she answered, bringing the tray to the front.

"Oh, so cynical," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"When will you see him again?" Momo inquired out of unadulterated nosiness.

"Tonight. I might not come in on Monday," she warned them.

"Why?" her blond business partner asked.

"I might not be able to walk," she answered bluntly.

"Miss Akane!" Momo exclaimed, feigning offense.

Nothing else was said about Akane's lover, but they knew she was thinking about him by the constant grin she wore on her face. When closing time came, they virtually shoved her out the door after insisting they would take care of everything. 

* * *

><p>"My darling, there is someone I want you to meet," Shunsui said as he led her into the living room.<p>

Akane saw a tall, long haired man standing in front of the window with a drink in his hand. He was extremely thin, almost frail looking, with pale skin and intense brown eyes under dark black eyebrows that contrasted beautifully with his white hair that fell across his right eye. She felt her lover's hand on the small of her back pushing her forward toward the man.

"This is Jushiro Ukitake," he announced as the man walked toward her with a pleasant, friendly smile on his face. "He's my guardian and protector."

"This is your beautiful beloved, Akane," Jushiro stated rather than asked as he took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss the back.

"Yes, she is," Shunsui answered, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Could you explain what he means by guardian and protector?" she requested, her eyebrows drawing together as the man studied her like she was on display in a museum.

The two men continued their conversation which obviously did not include her. She wondered if they had even heard her.

"How did she react to the essence of the rose?" the white haired man inquired still staring at her.

"Favorably. It has a slight intoxicating effect on her. The spirit accepted her when I took her to the table in the garden," her lover explained.

What the hell was he talking about?

"You were right. It is her. The pheromones led you to her?" he inquired, standing close to her and placing his nose in her hair to inhale deeply.

"Excuse me!" Akane exclaimed, stepping away from Jushiro who had invaded her personal space in a weird way. "Can someone please tell me what is going on here?"

"It is a much anticipated and auspicious event when one of his kind finds a mate. Think about how hard it is for regular humans like you?" he inquired with a hint of scorn in his voice as he looked her over from head to toe.

"Pardon him for being so rude. He is very protective of me emotionally as well as physically," Shunsui said, stepping between the two people as they glowered at each other with deadly intent. "Oh, this is not going very well."

"Okay. Well, if you will please explain exactly who he is and why he is assessing me like a piece of property that will help me tremendously," Akane said, balling her fists by her sides in anger.

Shunsui took a deep breath before beginning the long and intricate explanation. Their families had been connected for centuries by and unfortunate love triangle that occurred in the sixteenth century when magic and mysticism were rampant. A man, one of Shunsui's ancient ancestors, had a spell cast on him to make him fall in love with a very powerful but selfish and cold hearted enchantress. The man became a notorious Casanova having numerous affairs with women. When the sorceress found out about her roaming husband, she cursed him to become a frightening creature whenever he was sexually stimulated so his love interest would be repulsed by him and have nothing to with him. On full moon nights he was cursed to become an angry, violent wolf like beast so he would kill his lover in a rage. She wanted him to be feared and reviled because he cheated on her; she wanted him to be alone and die of a broken heart. However, he continued his love affairs despite the extra hair, fangs, and claws and locked himself in the barn on full moon nights. When one of his illicit unions resulted in the birth of a male child, the curse was carried on through him. The sorceress was shocked to find out that she too had become pregnant by her philandering husband. It was too late to undo her other spell so with a heavy heart and guilty conscience, she cursed this child so that his bloodline would forever be the servants and keepers of the wolf men that her husband sired. When her husband died, she sent his spirit into a rose bush to remain there forever because he had always given his lovers a single red rose at their meetings. It was just an ordinary rose bush until that day when it became bewitched; these roses emitted a special fragrance that would seduce and enchant women to be with the wolf man. However, the spirit in the bush would determine if the woman was worthy of being with the man. If not, it killed her. The man who had been the lover of many women would be forced for an eternity to choose just one for his descendants.

"So you're a descendent of the enchantress and the unfaithful husband?" Akane asked, pointing at Jushiro who nodded an affirmation. "And you're a descendant of the cheating husband and a lover?"

"That is correct," Shunsui acknowledged.

"When you said I had been accepted by the spirit, you were saying that the spirit of your two-timing dead ancestor that is now attached to the rose bush approved of me. If he had not, I would be dead right now. Am I understanding this correctly?" she inquired, glaring at him.

"Yes," he answered.

"Seems like I've heard of something like this before," she said thoughtfully, tapping her chin as if she were trying to remember. "Oh, I know. From the fairytales my mother read to me at bedtime when I was a child! This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I'm leaving."

"Wait, please!" the white haired man begged, grabbing her wrist. "I know it's outrageous and unthinkable. But it is our reality. It is something we have had to deal with all of our lives through no fault of our own. If you leave, he will be alone."

"Let her go, Jushiro," Shunsui ordered, raising his eyes to her. "I won't hold her here against her will. If she stays, I want her to stay because she loves me."

"But she is the one," he protested, refusing to let go.

"Let her go," her lover repeated, keeping his dark gray eyes on her brown ones. "It is your choice, my love. You can go or you can stay. I know you do not understand and all of this is inconceivable to say the least. There is one thing you should know. Not everything in this world can be explained by scientific facts and formulas. There are forces at work that exist beyond our realm of comprehension. Just because you do not see them, does not mean that they do not exist. Just because you do not believe does not mean everything we told you was a lie. Tell me, Akane. Do you love me? Do you want to be with me? Does any of this really matter besides those two things?"

Akane dropped to her knees in front of Shunsui because weariness overtook her with its crushing weight. Her head ached from the overwhelming information she had been given. The questions he asked were very simple in comparison to the confusing facts of his past. Yes, she does love him. Yes, she does want to be with him. No, the past does not matter. She had already accepted the fact that he was something evidently different – no, more – than human. What he was did not detract from his humanity but added to it by making him more aware of it. He was more loving, compassionate, and thoughtful than most so called fully human men. "I want to be with you," she said in a faint voice as tears threatened to pour down her cheeks.

"There's one more thing I need to show you," Shunsui said, grasping her gently by her upper arms to pull her to her feet.

"Are you sure?" Jushiro asked his friend, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Tomorrow night is a full moon. She needs to know," he replied, kissing her on the cheek. He took her hand to lead her down to a basement room that reminded her of a dungeon complete with a metal barred cell with chains and shackles nailed to the stone wall inside. "I do not turn into a wolf, but on full moon nights I do turn into a violent monster. Jushiro has been the one to always bring me down here and lock me up on those nights to prevent me from hurting myself or anyone else. We're bound together by loyalty and friendship. It's never been a servant/master relationship. He just wants to be sure about you. Forgive him if he is a little harsh or unceremonious."

Akane was visibly trembling. She was beginning to second guess coming here at all. Could she really handle this? She had always prided herself on being able to deal with any situation or circumstance but this might be the one that surpasses her ability to cope.

"Akane, are you all right? I'm sorry," Shunsui apologized, gathering her into his arms. "I should have taken this slower and not told you so much at once. Or maybe I should not have told you at all."

"Just give me a little time okay. It's a lot to process," she said, her mind reeling from all of the information. She eased out of his arms after giving him a quick hug. She walked through the open door of the cell, standing in front of the thick metal chains and shackles that hung from the wall. "What happens?"

"This fury overtakes me, and I can't stop it. I'll attack anyone or anything because of the rage. That is why I get locked up down here. To keep those I care about safe," he said, reaching out to touch her face. "That is why Jushiro's ancestor was bound to be a protector. The sorceress wanted to atone for the wolf man curse by giving him a protector to keep him and others safe."

"So it's almost like some kind of violent murderous seizure triggered by the full moon?" she asked, picking up one of the shockingly heavy restraints.

"I guess that would be one way to explain it to comprehend it better." He put his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Are you sure you want to be mine?" he inquired, turning her to face him.

"Yes. Do you want me to leave you?"

"Never."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Akane stared into Shunsui's dark gray eyes as he laid her carefully on top of the black silk sheets that were covered with blood red rose petals__.__ Her eyes fluttered closed as he placed the velvety soft rosebud against her cheek, pulling it across her skin. Goose bumps raised across her body as its smooth petals tickled her neck and brought every nerve in her body to attention as it blazed a trail down her chest. Her back arched and a sigh of pleasure escaped her as he traced her sensitive nipple with the gorgeous flower. She opened her eyes to meet his radiant silver ones. Her eyes were drawn to his wolf teeth as he opened his mouth to speak._

"_Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?" Shunsui queried, tickling her lips with the rose._

"_Yes," Akane replied breathlessly. She placed her hands against his furry belly, sliding them upward as he lowered himself on top of her and pushed into her hungry body. She arched her back, leaning her head back to offer him her throat. _

_Shunsui pressed his mouth to the artery in her neck, moaning as he felt the blood pumping through it fiercely. He opened his mouth, sinking his teeth through her skin._

_Akane screamed, holding on to him as blood poured into his mouth and over the black sheets. It mixed with the rose petals and flowed down the bed to the floor._

"_Will he starve without me? Does he love me?" YES!_

"OH MY GOD!" Akane screamed, sitting bolt upright in the bed.

"Akane? What is it?" Shunsui asked, grabbing her to pull her against him. She looked terrified with wild eyes and a trembling body.

"Oh, it was a dream," she sighed, allowing her body to go completely limp against him. She leaned her cheek against his hairy chest, luxuriating in his warmth as it began to warm her chilled body.

"What was it?" he inquired, kissing her forehead as he held her close.

"I dreamed you killed me," she answered bluntly.

"I would never do such a thing. I love you," he said indignantly as if he was offended with her for having the dream.

"I know that, my darling. I honestly don't know where that came from," she sighed, running her hands down his chest and belly.

"I know a way you can make it up to me." He pressed his lips to her neck unable to stop a smile from curling his lips. His hands slid over her breasts, stroking and pinching the nipples.

"What would you like for me to do, oh master, my master?" she inquired, turning her face to his.

"I like the sound of that," he growled teasingly, licking her lips before pushing his tongue between them. "Get on your hands and knees."

Akane almost giggled as she did as he asked. The obvious smart aleck remark in reference to dogs that she could make was almost more than she could bear to hold back. In order to not kill the mood, she mumbled a simple, "How appropriate." The mood quickly became sexually tense when she felt his hairy thighs pressed against the back of her legs as he sank himself deep inside of her.

"How does that feel?" Shunsui asked, cautiously sliding in and out of her.

"Oh, better than I ever thought it would," she moaned. She felt him lay over her back placing his hands next to hers on the bed. Her body shuddered underneath his as he pressed kisses to her shoulders while leisurely moving in and out of her. She could tell he was in no big hurry and fully intended to enjoy himself since he had her in this position.

"You're mine forever," he whispered in her ear, sliding his hand over her breast to tease the nipple until it was hard and erect. He slid his hand from her breast, down her belly, and between her legs groaning with satisfaction when she writhed underneath him as he touched her most intimate part which was rigid and very sensitive from her high state of arousal.

Akane was amazed at how strongly and easily her body responded to him. She called out his name as he stroked her aching body making pure bliss saturate every nerve. She knew it would not be long before he brought her to an orgasm doing that. "Shunsui, that feels so good," she panted, moving underneath him as a knot of sexual excitement began to form between her thighs.

"I'm going to come with you, my love," he whispered, putting his arm around her waist as he shook with his climax.

Akane screamed when her body exploded with pleasure thrusting herself at his orgasm inducing hand while he continued to pump into her. She groaned with bliss as he collapsed on top of her pinning her to the bed. She began laughing uncontrollably for some reason. "Would you get off?" she requested between giggles.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked, moving next to her so that he could see her face.

"I don't know. I'm just insanely happy I guess," she answered, wiping the tears of joy from her eyes.

"I think maybe you are just insane," he quipped, kissing her on the nose.

"I think maybe you're right," she agreed, kissing him briefly on the lips. "I love you so much."

"You do?" He seemed surprised by her amorous admission.

"Yes, I do." She kissed him on the lips, running her fingers through his long wavy hair.

"It makes me happy to hear you say that. Will you stay with me tonight? It's the full moon," he reminded her.

"I'll stay. I'll stay with you forever." 

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to be here for this?" Jushiro asked her as they walked down to the basement cell at sunset.<p>

"Yes. If I'm going to be with him until I die then I'll have to be here for this sooner or later right?" Akane rejoined, returning his gaze.

"That's what I'm here for. I've always taken care of him. It's what I was born to do," he said, touching her arm gently. "You don't have to be here."

"I was born to do something for him as well. I was born to love him. You two aren't the only ones who can have fate make plans for you," she replied, smiling at him.

"Yes, you are correct. Fate was kind to him by choosing you to help make his curse more bearable," he stated kindly, reaching out to touch her cheek.

All three of them walked into the cell. Shunsui was dressed in nothing but a pair of red silk sleep pants and had left his hair loose rather than tying it back. He walked to the restraints taking a deep breath.

"Are you in pain when it happens?" Akane inquired when he turned to face her.

"Yes. There is terrible physical pain that comes with it. The mental anguish is worse," he admitted, pulling her into his arms to hold her and kiss her. "Do not stay to watch this."

"You won't frighten me away. I love you," she whispered, pulling his mouth to hers for a longer kiss than was comfortable for the third person of their party.

"Akane," Jushiro murmured, poking her in the arm. "I have to get him ready."

"At dawn, my love," Shunsui said, squeezing her hand before she reluctantly walked away.

Akane stood outside the cell watching every move the protector made as her handsome lover was handcuffed and shackled. Her fingers twisted around the iron bars as he checked the chains to make sure they were securely attached to the wall. He also rechecked the restraints for not being too tight. She was touched by the tenderness and consideration the man showed for Shunsui. It was strange to think this was literally something he was born to do; forced into servitude by a centuries old curse, but he sincerely cared for his charge. In return, he was respected and treated not only as an equal but as a friend. What could have been yet another deplorable part of a grievous curse had been turned into a loving friendship instead.

Jushiro exited the cell, locking the door behind him. He walked over to Akane pulling her away from the bars. "Please, for him, leave. He does not want you to see this."

"I'll leave after it begins. Until then I want to stay here," she insisted stubbornly, going back to the bars. She stared at Shunsui as he calmly stood with his head bowed, a captive awaiting the impending episode of physical and mental torture. "Shunsui, I love you."

Shunsui did not move. When she called his name again, his head abruptly snapped up revealing the liquid silver eyes and animalistic teeth. The hair had grown longer and thicker on his face and now covered his back and shoulders. His muscles rippled and flexed beneath the fur as they seemed to grow bigger. His fingernails had extended to three inch claws that clicked together menacingly as his fingers flexed into loose fists. He was breathing hard, staring at her with murderous intent in his eyes. A low growl rumbled in his throat growing until an ear splitting howl of rage that erupted from his mouth as he strained against the chains. He growled and snarled while the chains clanked loudly as he jumped at her despite the restraints.

Akane fell straight down on her behind from the shock and fear that paralyzed her. Her gaping terrified stare triggered the human part of him and his eyes immediately turned soft with hurt and sadness. She covered her ears to block out the high pitched whining sound he made that rose in volume to a plaintive howl of dejection. She felt Jushiro's hands on her shoulders squeezing hard as he pulled her hands away from her ears. Her tear filled eyes met his which were filled with apprehension and a slight bit of anger.

"Please," he begged, helping her to her feet. "Leave now. I'll bring him to you in the morning. Go!"

Akane jumped to her feet allowing the next howl he released to propel her up the stairs and out of the door. She slammed it behind her, leaning against it as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She was not sure exactly why she was crying, but she knew she could not stop. The hate and fury she had seen in his eyes had horrified her. The realization that it was directed at her nearly broke her heart, but she reminded herself that was part of the curse: he was supposed to detest his lover and kill her in a fit of rage. She ran away from the door when she heard him howl again. She ran to the back door, looking out at the labyrinth of roses. She opened the door and rushed heedlessly into the maze not caring if she got lost or what happened to her now. Her legs ran aimlessly and without purpose; they just kept moving her through the twists and turns with no real direction in mind. Eventually she ran into the clearing, dropping to her knees in front of the enchanted rose bush that held the spirit of his ancestor.

"Why?" Akane screamed, bowing on her face in front of the possessed shrub. "Why does he have to suffer? Is there any way to stop this?" She knew there would be no answer, but she shrieked the questions anyway. Finally she had spent her voice and her energy and lay on the ground in silence not moving a muscle. An eerie silvery blue glow filled the garden. She assumed it was simply the light of the full moon until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not cry, my dear," a man said.

Akane sat up quickly to find the source of the voice. Her heart nearly pounded through her chest as she looked at the face of a man kneeling in front of her. The blue ethereal light was coming from him. He was ghostlike; a silvery white color with his features and clothes outlined in blue and a halo of light all around him as if he were in a ball. He looked at her with a kind, almost pitying expression, on a face that could be deemed handsome if it were human. He touched her cheek, and she could feel his fingers. He seemed to be transparent and phantasmal yet he had physical substance and could touch her.

"Who are you?" she inquired, but she was sure she already knew. A lovely crimson blossom appeared in front of her face held in the apparition's hand.

"My name is Kisuke Urahara," he said, helping her to her feet.

"Yes, I know who you are. You are the man who started this whole damn mess," she responded angrily, taking the flower from him. "Ow!" she exclaimed, looking down at her finger that had been pricked by a thorn. A thin trickle of blood ran down her finger. Before she could stick it in her mouth, her ghostly companion thrust it in between his lips and sucked gently. He immediately materialized into real flesh and blood right before her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and she leaned heavily against him. She would have fallen straight to the ground had he not been holding her. Her eyes looked into a pair of gray eyes just like Shunsui's. His hair was a pale blond color and with a thick lock hanging between his eyes. He was wearing a dark green kimono.

"Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense*," he said, stroking her face with his fingertips.

Hmmmm…now Akane knew where Shunsui got it. Suave with a gift for words ran in the family. She struggled out his grip when he tried to kiss her. She shoved him away violently before remembering that she was pushing a spirit – something that was not even supposed to be real much less able to be touched. Where does the insanity end in this adventure?

"Why don't you just go back into your bush? Haven't you caused enough problems for everyone?" she snapped, backing away as he walked toward her.

"You are special. That's why I chose you," he said, seizing her by the arms. "You can break the curse." 

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Quote by Mark Overby<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Break the curse? How?" Akane asked, leaning back from him as he moved closer to her.

"You have to make love to me," Kisuke whispered, cradling the back of her head in his hand.

"Dirty liar," she accused, pushing against his chest to keep him from kissing her.

"You are correct," he admitted, letting her go.

Akane blinked in confusion as she watched him casually walk away. She went to sit beside him when he perched on the edge of the stone table. For a disembodied spirit, he had a funny way of acting perfectly human. Her hand squeezed his shoulder gently as she looked into his dark gray eyes that reminded her of Shunsui. She turned her gaze to the full moon that was still high in the night sky. "Please, tell me how to end his pain. Help me stop this," she implored him, returning her eyes to his face.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"Yes. I want to end this. Not just for him, but our children as well. I don't want anyone else to suffer," she said, taking his other hand in hers. "Please, tell me."

"You will not like what I have to say," he warned her. When she held his gaze with a silent, insistent longing in her eyes, he took a deep breath to continue. "A ritual will have to be performed right here on this table. It must take place on a new moon night. There has to be the shedding of blood."

Akane swallowed hard, squeezing his hand when he looked away from her. "Whose blood?"

"The blood of his beloved. Yours," he answered bluntly.

Akane pulled away from him, covering her face with her hands. That explains her dream. "There has to be another way. Isn't there something? A spell? An incantation? Anything?" she inquired, desperation making her voice rise.

"No. There's nothing. He has to make the choice to sacrifice you. He has to kill you with the intent of releasing himself from the curse. The new moon night is when all things begin anew and the slate is wiped clean. When curses can be broken," he explained, reaching out to touch her but she immediately drew back from him.

Akane stood up, walking to the edge of the garden where she stood with her back to him. There was a brilliant flash of blue light behind her that made her turn around. He had returned to his ethereal specter form.

"Good-bye, my dear. I wish I could have told you something different. It is never easy to atone for one's wrongdoing. I apologize for my licentiousness that has caused so many so much pain, including your present anguish. I did enjoy your company tonight. Come visit me on the next full moon," Kisuke invited her, giving her a kind smile before he dissolved back into the thick tangle of thorns and roses.

Akane stood still for quite a few moments before moving. She was trying not to think as she willed her body to move to take her back to the house. Step by painstakingly slow step, she found her way out of the maze and to the veranda that stretched across the back of the house. She sat down on a padded bench staring at the sky. The first hints of dawn were beginning to appear as the sky turned a dark gray like the color of Shunsui's eyes. _He has to make the __**choice **__to sacrifice you. He has to kill you with __**intent **__of releasing himself from the curse. _These two sentences echoed through her brain until she wanted to grab her head and scream. She loved him, but she knew he would never do such a thing. More to the point, she would never ask him to do such a thing. The concept of 'I would die for you' has always befuddled her. What good does it do you or the one you love if you would be so willing to die and leave them thereby ending your relationship along with your life? She would rather be with him as a wolf man than without him as a corpse. She was very confident that he would feel the same.

A chill overtook her and she shivered violently. Akane hugged her arms around her body in an attempt to warm herself a bit as the air took on a distinct crispness with the coming of dawn. The sky turned a brilliant blood red color, and she could not keep the sardonic grin from her face as she stared at the crimson sunrise. Would everything red be a constant reminder of this horrid night? No. She could not let it be a morbid tribute to this memory. It would mar the significance of the gifts of the red roses from the man she loves – a memento of his affection and adoration. Her eyes took in the welcome sight of the golden rays of sun shining over the horizon, warming her cold body. She heard the squeak of the back door opening and looked over to see the white haired protector.

"There you are!" Jushiro sighed with relief. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Did you think I had run away? That I wasn't coming back?" she inquired, standing up as he walked toward her. She stared at the carefully laid stones beneath her feet to avoid the piercing stare of his dark brown eyes.

"In all honesty, yes," he replied brusquely, placing his hand on her chin to pull it up so he could look into her eyes. In a much more tender tone he said, "But I'm glad I was wrong. He's waiting for you in the bedroom. He will need sleep. You look like you could use some as well. Were you awake all night? Where were you?"

"I was indeed awake all night but parts of it feel like a bad dream. I was in the garden," she answered, watching his whole body visibly stiffen. She held his gaze as she simply spoke a name: "Kisuke Urahara."

"How do you know that name?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing with a mix of anger and suspicion.

"Shunsui's great, however many greats, grandfather. The cause of the curse. I summoned his spirit from the roses last night somehow," she said, stopping immediately when Jushiro appeared as if he might faint. She put her hands on his slender waist, helping him down to the bench before he fell down.

"You saw his spirit? You brought it forth?" he asked in a dazed disbelief.

"Yes. I don't know how. I talked to him, Jushiro," she continued, speaking rapidly as she grew excited and a little nervous about the encounter that now seemed more of a reality. "I could touch him. He was as real and solid as you are to me. He was a ghost at first then when I pricked my finger on a thorn he drank the blood and became human again." She halted her words again when he shockingly grew more pale; she had not known that was possible with his already fair complexion. "What is it? You're scaring me."

"You were able to bring his spirit out the rose bush? He returned to human form after drinking your blood?" he inquired, watching her nod her head with a distinct look of horror twisting his face.

"Wh-what does it mean?" she asked, when he closed his eyes and leaned back on the stone bench.

"Do you know anything about your ancestry?"

"No. I was adopted. Why?"

"Dammit! I think you might be a descendent of the sorceress," he announced without bothering to soften the blow of the starling information.

"WHAT?" It was her turn to feel weak and dizzy as the black crept into the edges of her vision threatening to make her lose consciousness.

"How else could you do those things? You weren't even trying!" he exclaimed, jumping up from the bench and grabbing her. He was unexpectedly anxious but it seemed in a positive way. "I'll have to do some checking and pull out a lot of the family history books and ancestry charts. Do you think you could do it again? Bring him out to talk to you?"

"I can try the next full moon night. He told me to come back then." Her confusion was growing exponentially as the usually quiet and reserved man's agitation level grew. "What is wrong with you?"

"If you are who I think you are, there might be a way to end this. Put a stop to this whole damned curse," he stated with an almost gleeful elation. Unbridled joy could be terrifying on some people, and he was one of those people.

"He told me there was a way to stop it." She jumped when he grabbed her suddenly with a shocking strength to pull her face to face with him.

"What? How? Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded, shaking her slightly.

"If you will unhand me I will tell you. Can you back it down a notch or ten? You're really, really frightening right now," she stated with a calm bluntness that made him smile. She sat back down on the bench, inviting him to sit next to her as she went through the events of the whole night, spending quite a bit of time on her conversation with Kisuke of how to break the curse. She did not want to forget a single detail.

"This is the first I've ever heard of something like this. I will begin checking the family annals to see what I can find. I'll get my son to help as well," he said, tapping his chin as the wheels spun out of control in his brain.

"Your son?"

"Yes, of course, we have to have successors you know. His name is Toshiro. I'll bring him by to meet you sometime."

"Jushiro, can I see Shunsui?" Akane inquired, standing up from the bench.

"Oh, yes! I apologize, my dear. I hope he's not asleep. You know where the bedroom is. Go ahead," he encouraged her, waving her away so he could think.

Akane all but ran to get to Shunsui as quickly as possible. When she threw open the bedroom door, she saw him wheel around from staring out of the window. Wordlessly, she ran to him, throwing herself into his arms so forcefully, she knocked the tall, imposing man backward a few steps.

"Oh, my love," he sighed with obvious relief as he held her tightly against him. "I thought you had left me."

"I told you I would never leave you. I love you, Shunsui," she said, wiping away the single tear that ran from his eye.

"Forgive my lack of faith in you," he murmured, pulling her lips to his for a passionate kiss. "I love you too, my darling."

"Would you like to take me to bed?" she inquired, running her fingers through his long hair that was still damp from a shower.

"Very much so. I never want to miss an opportunity to show you how much I love you. Whether it is telling you or showing you," he said, punctuating the sentiment by putting his hand over her breast. He pushed the material of her dress off of her shoulder to reveal her breast. He cupped it in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the nipple to make it hard and erect. "What is this I see before me? A tiny rosebud has bloomed, allowing me to see its beauty. Your rich red color, like my lover's lips." He paused to kiss her. "The softness of your petals, like my beloved's fair skin." His fingers brushed over her bare shoulder and down her arm, stoking the fire that began to grow deep within her. Desire flared within her suddenly, making her gasp with pleasure, when he returned to stroking her breast. His other hand pulled up her dress, gliding across the sensitive flesh of her belly. His fingers slid just beneath the lace of the top of her panties and stopped, not moving until he began speaking again. "A lovely, delicate wonder in a rich fertile garden that I desire to explore."

Akane grabbed his arm to hold herself up as he slid his finger inside of her body drenched from arousal. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of pleasure when he slipped in another finger, his strong arm going around her waist to hold her against him.

"I will plumb your depths, tasting your sweetness. I want to experience every ounce of exquisiteness you have to offer me," he moaned, moving his fingers in and out of her. "You are my perfect lover, the love of my life. I cannot, will not, live without you."

Akane had never experienced anything like this before. He was driving her insane with almost overwhelming ecstasy with his wondrous words and his miraculous fingers. She moaned his named holding on to him with all of her strength as her passion climbed and climbed until finally she was falling into that enchanting abyss of carnal completion called an orgasm.

"Shunsui," she whispered, her lips seeking his and finding them with an urgent, driving need. "I want more."

"You shall have it, my love," he whispered back, pushing her backwards to the bed. He looked into her eyes, kissing her lips before he turned her around with her back to him.

Akane closed her eyes, relishing the sensation of his silky body hair tickling her skin when he freed her of her dress. She followed his urging to kneel on the bed. She bit her lower lip as he moved behind her sliding into her with the gentlest of pressure. Her body shuddered under his touch as he moved slowly and carefully.

"You are my everything," he said, leaning over back to whisper in her ear. "Without you I am nothing. I would die without you. You are my sweet red rose. Bloom for me."

Akane cried out when he moved fast and hard, propelling her to another breath taking climax before experiencing his own. They crawled under the black satin comforter together, snuggling into each other's arms to get some much needed rest.

"Akane?" Shunsui called.

"Hmmmm?" she murmured sleepily, tottering on the edge of wakefulness and sleep.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Akane?"

"Shunsui."

"Will you marry me?"

Akane felt as if her whole body were numb, and she was floating. She nuzzled into him, placing her lips next to his ear. "Yes, I will marry you. We were preordained to be together from the beginning. It has taken centuries for us to find each other."

Had she really just said that? Where did those words come from? Maybe she had gotten caught up in the moment; inspired from his burst of incredibly arousing and erotic poetry earlier. Maybe she was already asleep. This was just a dream – right?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Akane glanced around the opulent jewelry store in awe. She refused to allow herself to gape like a country bumpkin no matter how badly she wanted to. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling sparkling as if it were made of diamonds. Although they were the only ones in the store, there was a full staff on hand with a person standing at each glass case ready and waiting to show them anything they wanted to see.

"Mr. Kyoraku and his lovely fiancée," an elegant and handsome gentleman greeted them. He had long black hair and dark penetrating onyx eyes. He carried himself with a courtly regal bearing that would be intimidating to most but did not seem to impress Shunsui at all. "I am Byakuya Kuchiki."

Akane felt the need to curtsy, but refrained when the princely man kissed the back of her hand. She smiled pleasantly at him instead when his black eyes met hers.

"My lovely fiancée's name is Akane. Now, if you would be so kind as to point us to the engagement and wedding rings," Shunsui said, putting his arm around Akane's waist.

"Certainly, sir. If you will follow me." Mr. Kuchiki led them to the circular glass case in the middle of the store where two blond women stood in the center waiting.

Akane placed her hand on Shunsui's chest over his heart when they stood at the counter. Her eyes burned a hole in one blond and then the other as they stood mesmerized by her fiancée, openly staring at him with greedy wanton eyes and lascivious grins on their lips. She felt something she had not experienced in a long time – jealousy. Her eyes moved to his face to see he was studying the glittering diamond rings in the showcase. She wondered if he even noticed the women gazing at him with lust in their eyes. This made her grin triumphantly at the pretty blonds who failed to garner his attention.

"Pick any ring you would like, my love," he encouraged her, squeezing her gently in a sideways hug.

Akane thought she might vomit when she heard both women sigh deeply and longingly. Oh, brother. She rolled her eyes then turned her attention to the rings. She moved down the glass counter a little ways to see more rings. When she had worked her way almost completely around the circle she found it. The ring looked just like a rose; a diamond solitaire sat on top with petals and leaves fashioned out of platinum and diamonds around it.

"I want that one," she announced, pointing at the ring.

"Perfect choice," Shunsui said, running his fingers through her hair. His lips pressed to hers after she turned to look up at him.

Another wistful sigh escaped the twinkies behind the counter, but Akane honestly did not care about them at this point. It was her he was marrying so these two twits could look all they like, but they could never touch. Her body began to tremble when her beloved took the ring from the girl and lowered himself down to one knee in front of her. Tears of joy were already brimming in her eyes and threatened to spill over to run down her cheeks.

"Akane, my love, I have chosen you to share my life. Would you accept this very special rose and make me the happiest man on earth?" he asked, holding her left hand in his. He was actually waiting for an answer before he slid the ring on her finger.

"Yes, I will," she tearfully accepted. She held him tightly around the waist while he kissed her in a way that was not decent for public view. While she waited for him to take care of the money matters, she stared at her gorgeous and unique ring.

"My darling, are you ready to leave?" he asked, taking her by the arm to lead her from the store.

"Yes. Where are we off to now?" she inquired, waiting for him to open the door for her. If she was going to be treated like a queen, she might as well act like one.

"How about a nice dinner, then back home," he said, looking into her eyes to relay an unspoken desire that made her blush.

They were leisurely strolling down the street talking about their plans for the wedding when a man walking toward them caught her attention. He wasn't particularly handsome with a disheveled, unkempt appearance like he really did not care how he looked. His dark brown hair appeared to be overgrown and in need of a trim. His blue gray eyes were half lidded giving him the appearance of being terribly bored or just plain sleepy. He was dressed in an untucked blue button down shirt and jeans. A thick gold necklace hung around his neck which gave him a ladies' man wanna be look. Despite his bedraggled appearance, there was something alluring about him that captivated her yet repulsed her at the same time; she could not stop staring at him. She was surprised by Shunsui after he suddenly halted when he noticed the man. A low growl rumbled in his throat causing her to look up at him in shock. She would swear she saw his hackles raise over his collar while his lip pulled back in a snarl from his sharp canines as she looked him. Her eyes followed his line of vision to see what he was glaring at. The man she had been studying earlier was walking straight toward them. Shunsui moved in front of her, holding her behind his back so that she had to peek around him to see the man.

"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" she snapped, dumbfounded by his odd behavior.

"Just be quiet and stay behind me," he ordered in a very curt manner with a rough gravelly voice.

Akane was immediately gripped by fear due to his extremely strange actions and uncustomary discourteous manner. She pressed her forehead to his back feeling through his jacket and shirt the weird fluffy sensation of the copious amounts of hair that had grown. "Oh, no, not here," she muttered to herself.

"Wolf man, how's it hanging?" the stranger greeted him.

Akane grabbed him around the waist when she heard him growl again.

"What have you got there?" the man asked, seizing Akane by the wrist.

"Shunsui, stop!" she screeched in terror when he grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him from the ground. The men were almost the same height but Shunsui outweighed him by at least thirty pounds that was most likely all muscle.

"Still have a temper I see," the stranger coughed, rubbing his throat when he was sat back down on his feet. He still had a firm grasp on Akane's wrist.

"Let her go, Coyote," Shunsui demanded in a hoarse growly voice very unlike his usual silky smooth bass tone. He put his hand on the other man's arm, squeezing until he released her.

"Well, this one must be pretty special. Not just something to satisfy your basest animal desires," the man muttered with a nasty, malicious grin twisting his lips.

"How did you find me?"

"Does it matter? We always find you."

Was this going to be a lifelong occurrence? Would she forever be ignored or pawed by strangers thenforced to listen to conversations that she had no clue what in the hell they were talking about?

"Just leave us alone. I have never done anything wrong. I have never hurt anyone," Shunsui said, tucking Akane under his arm like a mother bird does her chick to protect it.

"_You_ haven't hurt anyone – yet. Your predecessors sure did cause some awful bloody scenes, however, and that's why we had to kill them. I'm watching you. I'm waiting for the day when I get to kill you," he snarled in a disturbingly malicious manner. "When I do, I'm taking her. I'll use her up and remind her what it's like to be with a real man. Not some damn animal."

Akane glowered at him from protective embrace of Shunsui. Her body shook as the man looked her over from head to toe. He looked like more of a wolf right now than her fiancée. Was this how Red Riding Hood felt when the wolf looked at her? The-better- to-eat-you-with-my-dear expression remained on Coyote's face to be emphasized by him licking his lips. "Oh, god, this can't be happening," Akane moaned, burying her face against her lover so she would not have to look at the disgusting creep.

"Good-bye beautiful," he said suddenly and casually as if they had a friendly chat. "Catch ya later, wolfie. I've got a gun full of bullets waiting on you."

Neither one of them moved until the menacing man had walked away from them and disappeared down the street.

"Who was he?" Akane asked to break the silence.

"His name is Coyote Starrk. He is a hunter," he replied, taking her by the arm to continue down the street.

"A hunter? Are you kidding me?" she inquired, attempting to keep the skepticism out of her voice.

"No. They are an annoying group of stalkers we picked up in the late seventeenth century. A group of men took it upon themselves to kill a werewolf when he murdered a woman on a full moon night. They appointed themselves as watchers over our kind. If a wolf man made a kill, they killed him," he explained.

"So they are self-appointed werewolf police?" she queried, smiling when he chuckled.

"I like the way you put things sometimes. It is so easy to understand. It sounds ludicrous when you put it in its simplest form," he said, holding her hand in his as they walked.

"It is ludicrous. The whole situation and everything involved with it is completely preposterous. So I suppose I should be feeling a little ridiculous myself right now since I'm part of it," she sighed, staring at the sidewalk. "Okay. I like this game. Let me guess what happened next."

Akane went on to explain her theory that this first group of men formed their own 'secret' society; secret in the manner that everyone knows about it but no one talks about it, like the Freemasons and the Illuminati. Their mission is to recruit and train men through the ages to watch over the half wolf beasts and kill any who get out of line.

"Once again, my darling, you have done it. Spot on with your deduction. You are a very intelligent woman," he complimented.

"I am extremely intelligent yet I still choose to be a part of this craziness," she rejoined.

"Insanity has never been in direct contrast to intelligence. As a matter of fact, they seem to come together. Ouch!" he yelled when she pinched him hard on the side.

"I don't suffer from insanity. I rather enjoy it," she joked, laughing as he took her into his arms.

"I am so glad I have you in my life. You make it so much easier to be me, to not hate myself for what I am." He kissed her briefly, then embraced her tightly.

"Shunsui, there's nothing wrong with you. It's just the way the world chooses to view you. It's just another physical affliction like an ugly birthmark or a hereditary disease."

"This could be considered both of those things. But I have the potential within me to kill you."

"You're right. So does everyone. People are murdered by so called regular humans every day. Humans commit horrible atrocities against each other all the time. Assault, rape, torture, abuse of all kinds. I think you're better than a regular human. Your so called curse isn't a curse at all as far as I see."

"All right, my love. Tell me how you see it. I always enjoy hearing how you view things," Shunsui said, looking down at her with sincere interest.

"Because you are more aware of your evil tendencies, you make it a point to fight against them, to reject them. Rather than indulging in your murderous urges and going on a killing rampage like so called normal people sometimes do, you lock yourself in your basement to keep everyone safe. No. You're not normal. You're not fully human. In my opinion that makes you better than us. Better than me," she added, staring up into his eyes. "Why do you even want to break the curse? It's really not that bad. Just embrace it and see it for something positive. You're a good man. A great man."

Shunsui smiled at her, touching her face to trace her features with his index finger. "You have no idea how much I really love you. You chose to live for me instead of dying. That was more of a sacrifice than allowing me to kill you. You have accepted me for what and who I am rather than wanting to change me or fix me."

"Yes, I have. So why don't you do the same for yourself?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"When I said to take a chance I didn't mean this big of a chance," Rangiku fussed as she stared at the rose shaped ring on her friend's finger. "I thought you should have a fling! You know, have great sex for several weeks, dump him, and then get on with your life. Besides, weren't you the one dead set against marriage?"

"Yes. That would be me," Akane admitted, sitting down in a chair at one of the tables. She stared at the ring not regretting for one second that she had accepted his proposal.

A sudden shrill scream echoed through the bakery nearly frightening her and Rangiku out of their skins. "Oh, Miss Akane! You're getting married?" Momo shrieked with excitement. She ran to her boss to hug her and nearly knocked her and the chair she was sitting in over. At least someone was happy about it besides Akane. The girl was still chattering away like a hyperactive chipmunk when two white haired men walked into the store.

Akane recognized one as Jushiro and assumed the shorter, younger man must be his son. He had short, spikey white hair and the biggest, most gorgeous turquoise colored eyes. Momo had noticed him and was enchanted enough that she immediately stopped talking. Her brown eyes dropped to the floor then coyly raised to meet the boy's big blue green eyes causing them to both smile and blush.

Akane wondered if the boy had some kind of mystical ability himself to silence her talkative employee. She was sure it was just the magic of hormones since he was a cute boy her age. "Hello, Jushiro," she said in friendly manner as the man walked toward her to sit down at the table with her.

"Hello, my dear. Who is this lovely lady?" he inquired, smiling at Rangiku who blushed violently.

Good grief. Was she going to have to hose down everyone in the room? Too much staring and too much blushing going on around here.

"This is my business partner Rangiku and that is my number one employee Momo," she announced.

"I'm your only employee," Momo stated flatly without moving her eyes from Toshiro.

"Lucky you. That means you're a shoo in for employee of the month then," Akane retorted sarcastically. "Hey, Toshiro, see someone, I mean something, you like?"

"I see something very sweet that's not on the menu I'd like to try," he replied, staring at the pretty little dark haired girl in front of him.

"He's been spending too much time with Shunsui," she muttered in a stage whisper to his father who stifled a laugh. "Momo, why don't you take a break? You can take our new friend there for a walk."

"I apologize for not formally introducing you," Jushiro said after watching the two younger people walk out of the door together.

"No introduction necessary. It was pretty easy to figure out who he is. I'm smart that way. It's one of things Shunsui likes about me," she joked, noticing the big book he held in his hand. "So what have you found out?"

"Well, I did find out that you are not a descendent of the sorceress," he answered, setting the book on the table.

"No? In a strange way I'm actually disappointed," she sighed, propping her chin on her hand.

"What I found out was much more interesting," he said, opening the book. "I believe you are a descendent of the woman who had the first cursed child."

"Excuse me?" she asked, nearly falling out of her chair.

"The first _what_?" Rangiku inquired, her pale blue eyes wide as she glanced from one person to the other in bewilderment.

"Uh…" they mumbled in unison. They had both completely forgotten she was sitting there.

"You haven't told her anything?" he asked, glaring at Akane.

"Uh, no. This is something I kinda assumed I should keep to myself," she said, turning her attention to Rangiku. "It's not that I didn't trust you. It's just that I didn't want you think I was completely insane. Just hang on for the ride here while we get through this then we'll go back and explain everything."

"We?" Jushiro asked, raising a black eyebrow.

"Oh, yes, we. I'll need your help on this," she replied. "Now, what were you saying?"

Jushiro turned the book toward her and showed her the page that chronicled the identity of the first mother of a werewolf. It all seemed like a page out of a romance novel instead of a long boring historical article until he turned the page to reveal an artist's drawing of the woman.

"Oh, my god, she looks just like you," Rangiku gasped, her fingertips flying to her lips to cover her gaping mouth.

Sure enough, there on the page was a finely drawn and photo-realistic picture of a woman who could be Akane dressed in sixteenth century clothing. Once Akane was over the initial shock he went on to explain more about why he thinks this woman was her ancestor just in case she needed more proof. He was able to obtain information about her birth parents and traced her lineage back to within a few branches of the woman on the family tree.

"What was her name?" Akane asked, staring at the face just like hers.

"Her name was Suri. Would you care to guess what it means?" he asked, putting his hand over hers as it began to shake.

"Red rose?"

"You are correct."

So the rose was so much more than just a romantic gesture from Kisuke. Akane felt heat rush over her body like a wave in the ocean. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on her hand. Her breath was coming in quick shallow gasps so she forced herself to calm down before she hyperventilated. While she was recovering, Jushiro took the opportunity to give Rangiku a short history of the werewolf curse.

"I suddenly understand why she didn't tell me," Rangiku said quietly when he was done.

"Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss, isn't it?" Akane asked, when she reclaimed her sanity from the brink of destruction. "The more I learn, the more I wish I _didn't _know."

"Oh, ladies, come on. I thought you girls lived for this kind of dramatic, romantic thing. Okay... I will be shutting up now," he stated with much trepidation when he received death glares from both women. An expression of incredible relief crossed his face when Toshiro and Momo walked in the door to the shop. "Well, ladies, it has been interesting, but I must leave now. I'm sure I will see you again soon, Akane. Rangiku, it was a pleasure making your acquaintance. Son, it is time for us to leave," Jushiro announced, making a break for the door. When Toshiro lingered a second too long saying good-bye to Momo, his father yelled from the door, "NOW, son!" 

* * *

><p>"I've got a present for you," Akane announced, handing him the black velvet box she retrieved from the nightstand beside his bed. She watched expectantly as he opened the box and pulled out the silver necklace with a big medallion on it that was engraved with the image of a monk petting a wolf.<p>

"What is this?" he asked, staring at the necklace.

"That is to protect you. The monk is St. Francis of Assisi. He's the patron saint of animals. I found an interesting story where he saved a wolf from being killed by a group of angry townspeople. As a matter of fact, the people fed and took care of the wolf until it died. All because of this man right here," she added, rubbing her thumb over the image.

"I would have never guessed you to be superstitious or Catholic," he said, leaning forward for her to put the necklace on him.

"I'm neither. Although I'm rethinking superstitions here lately in light of recent events, wolf man," she teased, kissing his lips. "I'll do anything to protect you. Call me paranoid after meeting that creep Starrk." She visibly shivered with the thought of the licentious, threatening bastard.

"He will never hurt me. I certainly will not allow him to harm you," he assured her, holding her close to him.

"I met my ancient ancestor today. That was a unique and emotionally trying experience." She cuddled closer to him, burying her face in his abundant chest hair.

"It was incredible when I saw that drawing. It was as if I was looking at you," he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

_We were preordained to be together from the beginning. It has taken centuries for us to find each other again. _Her owns words sprang from memory, and they immediately made sense. "Oh, my god!" Akane gasped. "Now I understand what I was babbling about."

"What?" Shunsui inquired, cocking his head like a confused puppy.

Akane could not help but dissolve into gales of laughter from his expression and the whole irony surrounding it. "Oh, darling, please you've got to stop! You're killing me?"

"Stop what?" he asked and moved his head in the opposite direction. Surely he had to know by now what he was doing.

Tears of unadulterated joy were running down her face because she could not stop laughing. She threw her arms around him, climbing into his lap. "I love you so much. You make me so happy." 

* * *

><p>"Hello, beautiful. I've found you." That sounded like a threat especially considering the source.<p>

Akane took a deep breath and stood up from behind the counter where she was restocking the bakery boxes for carry outs. Her brown eyes met ruthless gray blue ones. She was thankful there was a counter separating them because she was sure he would already have her in his arms if there wasn't. Her body trembled under his ravenous gaze. "What do you want?" she inquired, wishing she had not sent everyone home early.

"You," he answered bluntly, hurtling himself over the counter to land right in front of her.

Akane found herself in the torturous position of being trapped between him and the wall. Her fiancée was a half wolf but this man was by far more terrifying and carnivorous. She turned her face away from him when he leaned in close to her. "Why? Why do you want me?" she asked.

"Because you're his. I want to destroy him any way I can," he murmured in her ear in a low sensual voice.

"Why would I ever want you? What makes you think you can have me?" She committed a grave error in judgment by turning to look at him which made her lips brush across his.

Coyote Starrk mistakenly took this as an invitation and crushed his lips against hers with a painful bruising force. There was no passion in the kiss; only a savage cruelty in his attempt to dominate her. He grabbed her hands to pull them off his chest to keep her from pushing him away. He slammed her hands to the wall above her head as he pushed his tongue between her unwilling lips.

Akane struggled against him, but it clearly felt like she was fighting a losing battle. Despite his slim build he was remarkably strong. She tried to jam her knee between his legs to attack the sensitive part of his body he was thinking with, but he caught her leg with his hand and pulled her knee to his hip. A scream was smothered between their mouths as he moved himself between her legs, shoving her against the wall. It seemed like every move she made only brought him closer to what he wanted and her further away from her freedom. She twisted any way she could in an attempt to free herself which excited him even more because she rubbed against the hard flesh between his legs.

"Mmmmm, baby, I knew you'd be a fighter," he moaned in her ear as he held her by the back of her head. "I want you so much."

"STARRK!" a deafening roar sounded behind them.

Akane was immediately unhanded, and she dropped to the floor in a fatigued, bleary eyed mess. She looked up at Starrk's sickeningly pale face with eyes so wide they appeared ready to pop out of his head at any second. Her gaze shifted to who he was looking at. Her hand flew to her mouth to prevent a scream of horror from escaping. She stared at Shunsui in his full werewolf form like he had been in the full moon night he was locked up. The medal around his neck that was now buried in glossy brown fur glinted in the bright fluorescent lights of the bakery.

"Close your eyes," he growled in an unearthly voice. "Cover your ears."

Akane did as she was told, curling into a little ball behind the counter. She was still able to hear Starrk's scream of unbridled terror as he was snatched over the counter. Her body convulsed painfully when she heard the sound of a gunshot. A howl of agony from her beloved vibrated through her body. She jumped up from behind the counter to see Starrk hightailing it out the door like a coward and her lover on the floor in a pool of blood. "NO! Shunsui, oh, god, no!" she screamed, running to him.

"Take me home. Call Jushiro. He will know what to do," he panted, wincing in discomfort when she touched him. The fur was beginning to recede as were the teeth and claws.

"Help me, sweetheart," she begged as she tried to help him to his feet. Her eyes noticed his hand pressed to his chest over his heart and the blood seeping through his fingers.

"He missed," he assured her as if he had read her mind. With a small smirk he added, "He was too damn terrified to aim very well."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Akane glanced around the room gaping with disbelief. It looked like a surgical ward from any modern hospital and fully equipped with anything that would be needed for minor surgeries. Her eyes returned to her bleeding fiancée on the steel table. She had already washed her hands as Jushiro instructed and was awaiting further instructions as he laid out surgical tools.

"It would be fair to assume this happens quite often," she stated flatly. Panic had given way to shock halfway to the house so she was emotionally numb at the moment.

"Unfortunately, it does," Jushiro admitted, picking up a scalpel that glinted in the bright light.

"Is there anything you don't know how to do? Babysitter, historian, surgeon… Are you a sorcerer too?" she inquired in a half mocking tone.

"Think about my ancestry for a second, and you will have your answer," he replied cryptically, raising his black eyebrows half way up his forehead.

"Of course, how stupid of me," she muttered, her attention going back to her fiancée when he groaned in pain. "No painkillers or anesthetics?"

"Never. It effects his system too adversely. He'll heal quickly," he informed her, lowering the scalpel to the wound.

Akane's eyes flew to Shunsui's face as the scalpel sliced into his skin causing him to hiss as he sucked air in through his teeth from the searing pain. She held his hand while she wiped sweat from his forehead with a washcloth.

"My love, it will be all right," Shunsui assured her, reaching up to touch her face as she hovered over him.

Akane bit her lower lip, forcing back the tears as she watched Jushiro dig into the hole he had made in Shunsui's chest with a pair of forceps. Her eyes squeezed shut and her knees felt weak when her lover clenched his to teeth to smother a yell from the pain into something like a cross between a howl and a groan. She placed her hands on either side of his head, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. Now was no time to act like a weak willed woman with no intestinal fortitude. He needed her to here for him, and he needed her to be strong; not falling apart and in need of comfort herself.

When Jushiro retrieved the bullet, he pulled it out triumphantly, showing her the blooded hunk of metal. "This was an easy one. It didn't go down far at all. Good thing your man is so muscular because that is what prevented it from going very deep," he said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

Akane could not help but smile with his use of the phrase 'your man.' She had only known him a few weeks yet his friend had known him a lifetime and then some, but Shunsui was hers in a very special way. Her eyes fell on the face of her handsome lover to see that he had lost consciousness at some point. Being oblivious to the pain would be the best thing for him right now.

"There's nothing else we can do for him right now except to let him rest," Jushiro said, cutting the thread when he was finished sewing up the wound.

"Just leave him here? Like this?"

"Would you like to move him?"

Akane could definitely see his point. It would be a little tough to move an unconscious man who is well over six feet tall and weighs nearly two hundred pounds.

* * *

><p>Akane sat on the couch alone staring out of the window at the rose labyrinth. She hoped it would not be much longer before he woke up. Time to think had been something in short supply lately, but she had been afforded the opportunity this evening. She was not sure if it was fatigue or sheer relief that caused the tears to come to her eyes but they did and in huge quantities. What if her hero had not arrived when he had? Her body shuddered from the memory of Coyote Starrk's hands on her body and his body pressing into hers. What if she had lost the man she loves? She had never even thought about the prospect of living without him. She had already resigned herself to the fact that she would die way before him due to his lengthened life span, but it had never occurred to her that something might happen to him. Since he was a werewolf, she had thought of him as any other mythical, magical being from the stories she had read as a child – impenetrable and invincible. Leaving out the curses and other impossible circumstances involving his existence, at the end of the day he was still just a man, a human, and not much more than that. She smiled with the revelation.<p>

"Akane?" Shunsui called when he walked into the room. He appeared to be a little pale and tired but none the worse for wear otherwise. The wound was concealed by the hair on his chest, but she was guessing it had either healed all the way or was very close.

Akane made herself walk to him slowly and put her arms around his waist. Her first instinct was to run to him and leap into his arms, but she was not sure how much of his strength he had gained back. She heard him grunt when he moved to put his arms around her indicating he was still in a little bit of pain.

"I am sorry, my love," he apologized, nuzzling into her hair as he held her.

"For what?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"I could not protect you from him," he said, tightening his arms around her.

"But you did. You saved me from him before he hurt me," she said, gazing into his dark, pain filled eyes. They held the sting of emotional pain, not just physical pain.

"I have never loved anyone like I love you," he murmured, pulling her head against his chest.

"Well, duh!" she snapped playfully. "I am your one and only for a lifetime. I'm even Grandpa Kisuke approved. I feel pretty darn special."

"As well you should, my love," he chuckled, hugging her briefly. He tipped up her chin so he could kiss her lips.

Akane pressed her hands to his chest, careful to avoid the wound. Her hand reached up to run through his gorgeous long hair when he deepened the kiss, gently dominating her lips with his. She squealed when he unexpectedly swept her up into his arms to carry her to the bedroom. Bullet wounds don't affect his libido much apparently. She pressed kisses to his neck as he carried her.

"Are you sure about this? You're okay?" she inquired, gazing into his eyes as he lay her down on the bed.

"What do you think?" he asked, placing her hand over the massive bulge below his waist.

"I'd say yes. I'd also say take me I'm yours." She stripped off her clothes while he removed his pants. She held open her arms for him, and he gladly accepted the invitation. A gasp of surprise escaped her when he pushed right into her; no wasting time on gratuitous foreplay tonight.

"I need you. I need to be inside of you, part of you," he whispered in her ear.

This was the first time she had ever seen him express any vulnerability or weakness. It frightened her to a degree. He always seemed so self-possessed – a man fully in control of himself except for the obvious times like a full moon night. Akane's arms held him firmly against her while he made love to her with an urgency that stunned her.

"I cannot stand the thought of losing you," Shunsui said, his hungry lips seeking hers.

'So that's it,' she thought to herself as he claimed her mouth. She felt the same way. Her arms and legs wrapped around his body, pulling him close to her. All that moved was their hips as they held each other and gazed into the other's eyes. The desperate intensity had eased a bit, shifting into unmasked desire seeking a pleasurable end.

Shunsui sat up, holding her tightly against him to stay inside of her. His eyes slid over her body as she moved on top of him. "You're the one I want for the rest of my life," he whispered, pressing his lips to her throat as she arched her back and offered it to him. His lips rested on the frantically pulsing artery in her neck as her blood raced through her body, exciting him even more. He pressed his lips to her neck again, feeling his teeth nick her skin.

Akane cried out from the unforeseen sharp pain that sent a trickle of wetness down her neck. Her fingers twisted into his hair, pulling his head back to look into his quicksilver eyes. "Be careful, lover," she panted, bobbing up and down on him.

"I'm sorry. You're just so, so…" He leaned forward, licking the trail of blood that had snaked its way down her neck. "Delicious."

"Shunsui, please," she begged, kissing him hard on the mouth. The metallic taste of her own blood filled her mouth when her tongue slid against his. She ran her hands across the silky mat of fur that had grown across his shoulders that were usually smooth and hair free. A burning pain seared across her back when his sharp claws dug into her shoulder blades. "Ow! You're hurting me!," she cried out, grinding her body against his to pull a moan from him.

"Stop! Just stop," he said, pressing his forehead to her chest when she stopped moving. He panted heavily as he calmed himself to gain some semblance of control. He sat back with his eyes closed, still breathing heavily. "I never want to harm you or frighten you."

"Look at me," she whispered, holding his face in her hands. When he opened his eyes, they had returned to their normal slate gray color. "I love you. I was afraid of losing you as well."

Shunsui slid his hands up her back, moving his hips underneath her. He kissed her breast, catching the nipple between his lips as she moved up and down on him.

"Mmmm, you're so sweet…so gentle," Akane purred, pulling his lips from her breast to her mouth. Her body shuddered as she began to experience an unexpected and powerful orgasm. "Oh, my god," she gasped, grabbing his shoulders to hang on as she writhed on top of him. The overwhelming sensations would not stop as her body was wracked time and time again with ecstasy. "What's happening to me? What are you doing?"

"Just hang on and enjoy it," he whispered, hugging her trembling body to his chest.

"Shunsui, you've got to make it stop," she begged as her eyes rolled back and her whole body felt weak. The pleasure would not stop coming, and it was beginning to unravel every nerve in her body.

"But why? Doesn't it feel good?" he asked, noticing the spot on her neck where he had nicked earlier had begun to bleed again. When his tongue touched her skin, she jumped and cried out his name, digging her fingernails into his shoulders. A satisfied grin touched his lips as he watched her experience yet another climax. All of her writhing and wiggling around was having a pleasurable effect on him as well as he gave in to his urge to release inside of her and experience his own blissful culmination of sexual desire.

"What was that?" Akane inquired weakly. She was thankful he was holding her against his warm chest because she had no strength of her own left and she was shivering from being cold.

"It was called a joining. When I shed your blood then drank it, it was a ritual actually making you part of me," he explained, his face turning red under her fierce scrutiny. "You began feeling my pleasure as well as your own. We became one."

"This condition of yours has all sorts of wonderful side effects doesn't it?" She pressed her lips to his, sighing deeply with contentment when he folded his comforting muscular arms around her body.

"Did I frighten you? Does it hurt?" His fingers stroked over her neck where he had bitten her.

"You did scare me a little. It doesn't really hurt," she answered, lying down on the bed. She suddenly felt overpowered by fatigue. Her eyes closed, and she started drifting off to sleep with that distinct numb and floating feeling.

"You are mine forever."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was a full moon night. Akane kissed Shunsui good-bye before he even entered the basement this time. After the promise of seeing her at dawn, she walked out of the back door to find her way through the maze to the middle. When she reached the clearing, her eyes rested on the beautiful rose bush that looked like any other normal plant. Her fingertips caressed the velvety petals of a rose as she wondered what to do.

"Kisuke Urahara," she stated his name rather than called but it brought him to her anyway. In a blinding flash of silvery blue light that illuminated the night, he stepped right out of the foliage like most people use a door.

"Hello again, my dear," he said with his lips close to her ear as he stood beside her. He pulled a rose across her lips, getting her to turn her head to look at him.

Akane smiled at him as she took the beautiful flower, not reacting at all as the thorn sank into the flesh of her finger. She was amazed how easily she had become accustomed to the weird and strange, and it just didn't seem to faze her anymore. It was debatable if this jaded stoicism to the supernatural was a good or bad thing. However, her nerves couldn't handle freaking out over every new odd occurrence or disturbing revelation. The bizarre, outlandish, and sometimes frightening had become commonplace. Sometimes she wondered how this happened and the answer could be summed up with one name: Shunsui Kyoraku. 'It's all his fault,' she thought with a sardonic grin on her lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Kisuke asked her, now in his, for the most part, human form.

"Sometimes I recall how I got here, and it makes me smile. I love him," she said, looking into the dark gray eyes that loomed in front of hers that were just like her beloveds. "Say her name."

"What?" he inquired, his eyebrows drawing together.

"You know who I mean. The one I remind you of." She felt his hands on her face and his lips were awfully close to hers, but she did pull away from him.

"Suri," he whispered, moving closer to her.

Akane could feel a tingle, a vibration, like he radiated pure energy as his lips neared hers. She closed her eyes, allowing him to give her one kiss. His lips literally felt electrified when he touched her, sending a spark of energy through her body. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be struck by lightning. It felt as if her whole body was charged with electricity. She was thankful he kept it brief and innocent because she was afraid the power surge would have killed her had he lingered any longer. Heaven forbid if he had attempted to deepen the kiss.

"That is my one good deed for you. Why didn't you tell me I look just like her?" she asked, moving back from him.

"I was not sure if you would believe me," he answered, surprised that it made her snicker. "What? Why are you laughing at me?"

"You have no idea the things I've had to choose to believe or reject since I met Shunsui. In this world of yours, the truth, and reality, is very subjective. I've learned not to try to make great leaps in absolute truth around here," she said, touching his cheek with her fingertips. "For instance, over a month ago would never have dreamed I could touch the face of the ghost of a centuries old philanderer cursed to live in a rose bush."

"It sounds so absurd when say it that way," he pouted, looking away from her.

"Because it is. At least you don't seem like such a creepy pervert now that I know I look just like a woman you loved," she said bluntly.

"Thanks. I think," he responded, leaning against the stone table that she had taken a seat on.

"Tell me about her. Did you really love her or was she just another conquest?" Akane inquired, watching his face as a smile tugged at his lips with the memory of Suri.

"I loved her. Probably just as much or maybe even more than you love Shunsui," Kisuke said, looking at her. "She was easy to love because she was so lovely and kind. Just like you."

'Oh, the epic flatterer,' Akane thought to herself, keeping the snarky comment to herself. She listened as he continued to tell her the story of her ancestral doppelganger.

They met when Suri and her husband were traveling through his village to get back to their home in a neighboring town. They were part of the nobility or rather her husband was. She had been forced into the marriage by her status seeking parents when the handsome duke took an interest in their commoner daughter. It didn't matter to them that there was a twenty year difference in their ages and they were worlds apart not only in their social status but also their goals and ideas about life. All he cared about was status and money. All she cared about was helping others and taking care of those in need. This caused endless arguments between the two because she was constantly giving away his money to the poor that he wanted to selfishly spend on himself and his own comfort and indulgence. She was a lonely, heartbroken woman despite being married which seemed to only amplify the pain. While strolling through the village one night, the smooth talking and also very lonely and disillusioned, Kisuke Urahara found her wandering the streets as well. That night began an affair that would last ten years.

"So they weren't all one night stands?" Akane inquired. She went on to quickly ask another question before he could answer that one. "If you loved her so much, why did you still have affairs with other women?"

"My, my, aren't we the curious sort? She was that way too. Always asked lots of questions. She wanted to learn everything about everything," he said, taking a deep breath before he continued. "I don't know to be honest. I guess I just had an empty hole inside of me that was a vacuum and devoured women and sex to fill it."

"Very philosophical, Mr. Urahara and you're most likely right. How did you find out the sorceress had cast a spell on you to make you fall in love with her?" she asked, running her fingers through his hair. So strange to be able touch someone who doesn't really exist anymore. Not as a real live human anyway.

"I guess the enchantment just wore off one day. I woke up one day wondering how in the hell did I get here and who is this stranger sleeping next to me? I didn't even know her, much less love her. When I did get to know her, there wasn't anything to love," he stated curtly, anger tingeing his voice.

"Oh, honey, that's not being under a spell. That just comes with being married. Everyone who has ever been married wakes up from that spell," she snorted derisively.

"How would you know?" Now it was his turn to be curious.

"Because I've experienced that once before myself. I swore, I made and oath to myself, that I would never get married again. But something changed," she said, staring at the ring on her finger. She felt his fingers brush over her shoulder as they pushed back her curly brown hair.

They sat in silence neither one not knowing what to say. Akane was somewhat shocked that the ultimate smooth talker had been rendered speechless. Instead, he did dare to slide her arm around her and hold her next to him.

"You have the strangest taste in men," Coyote Starrk said, appearing in the clearing suddenly. With a sneer of repulsion on his face, he looked at the woman sitting there with the arm of a ghost around her. "First a werewolf? Now a ghost? When are you going to try a real man?"

"You just don't understand that you shouldn't go places you're not wanted do you?" she demanded, watching Kisuke as he moved in front of her to be a barrier between her and the unwelcome intruder. "I've tried real men if that's what you dare to call them. You are giving yourself way too much credit if you consider yourself a part of that group."

Akane watched as Starrk's expression of disgust evolved into one of unadulterated fury as he glared at her. She wondered why he seemed to hate her so much. His interest in her seemed way too personal to only be a so called 'professional' interest. Since he was after the werewolf, why she should even warrant a single bit of his attention? "Why? Why me?" she inquired.

"I've already told you. I want to destroy him. I'll take everything he loves to destroy his spirit and mind. Then I'll kill him," he threatened, however, the threat fell hollow and flat.

A bone rattling howl split the night air making their teeth chatter with its intensity and volume.

"He knows you're here, and he's coming for you," Akane announced, her voice low and menacing. It was her turn to strike some fear into this annoying asshole. "How does it feel knowing you are about to die?"

"You tell me first," he growled, pulling his gun from the leg holster and aiming it at her head.

"NO!" Kisuke yelled, putting up his hand in a motion of surrender.

Growls and snarls filled the air before another deafening howl sounded - he was close. The bushes behind Starrk exploded into a storm of leaves and rose petals as a huge hulking figure of brown fur, gleaming sharp teeth, and razor sharp claws burst through. A feminine scream of terror and agony emanated from Starrk's mouth as the werewolf jumped on him, impaling him on the long, knifelike claws and sinking his terrible fangs into the helpless man's neck.

"Don't look!" Kisuke exclaimed, turning to wrap himself around her.

Akane closed her eyes with her faced buried deep into the soft material of his kimono. Despite his hands covering her ears she could still hear the disconcerting sound of flesh being shredded and bones breaking as body parts were being ripped off. The screams of heart stopping fear and immeasurable physical suffering finally stopped. All that could be heard now was the animalistic growling and the crunching of bone. Coyote Starrk was one nightmare that would never return.

"I'm about to do something to you. You will go to sleep and hopefully not remember any of this," he whispered in her ear.

Akane nodded her head against his chest. She was more than willing to do anything to forget this event. She held her breath as she felt his arms tighten around her.

"Oh, my god," Jushiro gasped when he arrived on the scene. How in the hell was he going to clean this mess up? He had always done damage control as the keeper but never anything to this degree. It was still a mystery how the shackled man escaped to begin with. He felt sick at his stomach as he viewed the carnage. Never before had Shunsui killed a human. His eyes moved from the massive bloody animal that was his friend to the frightened woman being held by the materialized apparition of the man who started this whole damn thing. "What the hell are you doing, you old bastard?" he demanded when he saw that the man was squeezing her so hard she could not breathe.

"I'm putting her out of her misery at this moment," he answered without thinking.

"What?" Jushiro bellowed, rushing over to them to push him away.

"I didn't mean it like that. I would never hurt her," Kisuke verbally backpedaled as fast as he could.

"You've done enough to hurt us all for many lifetimes. Why don't you just go away now?" he demanded, staring with bewilderment at the ancient specter. He was as awestruck as he was angry by the man's presence.

"As you wish." The spirit burst into hundreds of tiny blue orbs and fled to his eternal prison in the roses.

Akane was still somewhat conscious, but she was showing signs of shock with her pale clammy skin and intense shivering despite the warmth of the night.

Jushiro was paralyzed by confusion. Who does he attend first? The horror-struck woman or the bloody half wolf who just killed a man?

"I'll be fine. He's your first responsibility. Take care of him," her weak, shaky voice insisted. "I'll stay right here."

Jushiro did not bother to ask her if she was sure as he went to tend to his friend. What did this mean? How would his first kill affect Shunsui? There were so many questions and no answers. It was frustrating and frightening. His eyes moved to the half conscious and, who he would deem, very courageous woman. Through this entire ordeal she had maintained a sense of calm and had yet to experience a mental breakdown. However, tonight might be the event that pushes her over the edge. How would this affect all of them? How would this influence all of their futures? The futures of their children? As they already knew, the careless act of one could destroy the lives of many for generations to come.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"How long has she been like this?" Shunsui inquired, staring down at his beloved. He stroked her cheek hoping to elicit a response of some kind, but her dull brown eyes remained in a sightless stare.

"A day. Maybe longer. I don't know," Jushiro answered, sighing with exasperation. They had lost track of time in the aftermath of the Coyote Starrk disaster.

Akane heard him call her name as if he were very far away. She closed her eyes against the nothingness and rolled onto her side. Sleep hovered over her like a mist, and she wished it would fall on her to help her escape this living hell – a grim fairytale come to life without the happily ever after. Teeth, claws, blood, lots of blood. And that sound of bones rattling and cracking would not leave her mind. The scene replayed itself over and over like a videotape on an endless loop. The dark green leaves and the blood red rose petals raining down around the terrifying hairy beast as he burst through the bushes. "No," she mumbled, grabbing her head. He's coming, he's coming for you! "NO!"

"Akane!" Shunsui yelled, grabbing her and pulling her to his chest. He could not stand it anymore. He had to hold her. Her body shuddered helplessly in his arms, and she felt so cold. She had been so strong, accepting and somehow logically processing every bit of outrageous information or disturbing sight that came her way. Until now. "What do I do? What do I do help her? Please, tell me!"

Jushiro shook his head. He was at a complete loss. For once his expansive knowledge and expertise had hit a wall and he had no idea how to help or how to fix the situation. He watched his friend helplessly as he held the woman he loved and cried for her. There was something decidedly discomforting about seeing such a big, virile man cry.

Shunsui kissed her forehead, allowing his tears to fall on her pale face. He wanted her to come back to him. The vibrant, beautiful woman he loved, not this pitiful empty shell in his arms. He had done this to her. It was his fault. Wrath bloomed in his heart opening its petals and touching every part of his being. Kisuke Urahara. This hell was his fault. He gently lay Akane back on the bed, kissing her cheek. "Good-bye, my love," he whispered, touching her face one last time.

"Where are you going?" Jushiro demanded, following Shunsui out of the room.

"There's something I need to take care of. I need to end this," he replied with a disquieting determination.

"What do you mean?" his keeper and protector inquired, passing his son in the hallway who wore a look of confusion. He ordered Toshiro to the bedroom to watch Akane as he continued after Shunsui.

"No more people need to be hurt by this abominable curse. Enough is enough," he announced, opening the double doors to the trophy room. These were not just decorative trophies that were the spoils of war. These were actual weapons the family had gathered through centuries of wars and in the constant battle to protect themselves from a horrid, mean world that refused to understand. He picked up a battle axe, a sword, and a dagger.

"What are you going to do? Tell me!" Jushiro yelled, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. He looked into enraged silver eyes. At the baring of a deadly set of teeth, he immediately let the man go. Whatever Shunsui intended to do, he was going do it; and if his protector intended to stand in the way, he might not live to see tomorrow.

Shunsui stalked through the labyrinth moving at an amazingly fast speed. He placed all of the weapons except for the battle axe on the stone table. "Wake up, old man!" he bellowed, raising the axe. He swung it with all of his strength, slicing through the bush which unleashed a hellish scream as blue light poured from it and flowed across the ground like blood. When the axe reached the height of the arc, he brought it back again, hacking into the limbs and sending an explosion of blue light in all directions along with decapitated rose blooms.

"Shunsui, what the hell are you doing?" Jushiro yelled, covering his ears against the ear splitting keening sound that filled the air around them. He watched in abject fear as thick ribbons of silvery blue light ran across the ground and snaked around Shunsui's legs to wrap around his body.

As the tentacles of blue light reached his neck, Shunsui abandoned the axe and grabbed the sword. He hacked at the tentacles that would disappear in a puff of smoke then quickly grow back and surround him again. "It is time to end this, Urahara! When I die by my own hand, you die with me!" he yelled with resolve. There was no turning back now as he slammed the sword handle into the ground. He reached back to grab the dagger before literally falling on the sword to thrust it through his chest.

"NO!" Akane screamed with a frightening volume and shrillness when she saw the man she loved impale himself with the long blade that appeared through his back.

"Toshiro! What the hell is she doing here?" Jushiro bellowed, adding to the horror of the scene unfolding before them.

"She began freaking out and took off out here! There was nothing a could do to stop her!" he yelled in his defense, showing his father his split and bleeding lip in addition the black circle that was forming around his left eye.

"Shunsui, no, how could you?" she screamed frantically, rushing to him to pull the dagger out of his hand. She thrust it into her chest in the same area where he was pierced with the sword. "I will die with you. I can't be without you!" She dropped to her knees in front of him, placing her hand on his cheek. She had chosen not to die by his hand, but she had never promised not to go with him if he died.

A strange sizzling sound like electricity humming along power lines filled the air. The bush detonated behind them as if a bomb had been placed inside of it, drowning them all in the bluish silver light. The explosion was like a nuclear blast and blocked out everything in existence in the rose garden temporarily.

"This is my one good deed for you, Akane." Kisuke's voice resonated inside her skull. "You will live to love another day." 

* * *

><p>Akane blinked in confusion shielding her eyes from the blinding light in her face. It took a moment to focus when the light was finally pulled out of the way. She glanced around realizing in moments she was in a hospital room. Her eyes closed again as she tried to sort through her muddled thoughts. What happened?<p>

Rangiku rushed to her side, fear making her big blue eyes even bigger. She grabbed her best friend and business partner's hand, pushing wild strands of hair behind her ear. "I'm so glad you're all right. You were in a terrible traffic accident," she gushed in relieved excitement to see her friend was awake.

"I was what?" Akane asked, attempting to sit up. Dizziness hit her with disturbing force, causing her to lie back down on the bed. "What happened? I can't remember anything."

"You were on your way home from a bar when a car drifted into your lane and hit you head on. A nice gentleman saw the whole thing happen so he stopped to call an ambulance," she explained.

"How long? How long have I been out?" she asked, holding her head that pounded so hard she could barely think.

"You've been in a coma for nearly three months" her friend replied.

"That can't be. I don't understand," she muttered in confusion and a little anger. She looked around the room again noticing dozens and dozens of bouquets of red roses. "Where did all these roses come from?"

"They're from him," Rangiku answered, glancing around with a smile. When prompted, she went on to explain who 'him' was. "The man who found you and called an ambulance. They're all from him. He sent a bouquet for everyday that you've been in here. Of course we've had to throw some out over time, but they just kept coming every day. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Yes, they are lovely." Roses? Why were roses important to her? She brought her hands up to her face to scrub her eyes as if she were trying to get the last remnants of sleep out of them. She stared at her naked fingers. Wasn't there a very special ring she wore? She couldn't remember exactly what it was, but she knew there was a ring.

"Miss Kato, there's a gentleman here who would like to see you," a soft spoken nurse politely informed her. She glanced back out the door then moved closer to whisper conspiratorially, "I believe it's the mystery man who saved you. He's visited you every day when he's brought the roses."

Akane glared at Rangiku who shrugged her shoulders with a look of wide eyed innocence on her face. Apparently, she did not know about the daily visits either, only the arrival of the roses. "Please show him in," she requested, getting her friend to help her raise the head of the bed and get adjusted before he came in. She must look absolutely frightening after waking up from a three month coma. 'Some things can't be helped. It will have to do,' she thought as she fluffed her hair and pinched her cheeks to bring color to them.

A massive man over six feet tall with wide shoulders filled the doorframe as he walked into her room. He was quite handsome in a scruffy, surfer dude way but wore an expensive suit. Something about him seemed familiar – very familiar - as if she knew him in every sense of the word. Her cheeks took on a real blush with this thought. The blush only deepened as he smiled at her and sat down on the bed next to her.

"I am Shunsui Kyoraku," he said, touching her hand.

At his name and his touch, Akane's heart literally skipped a beat – they both heard it on the machine from the monitor that was still attached to her and could not help but laugh. Damn piece of machinery betraying her like that!

"Well, I'll leave you two alone to talk," Rangiku announced, taking it as a sign for her to leave.

"Akane." He spoke her name with great intimacy and something akin to longing. He pulled the red rose from his button hole, pulling it across her lips.

Akane gazed into his dark gray eyes as thoughts began to form in the fog of her mind. Images- no, memories- appeared through the mists of time materializing in her mind's eye. Jumbled remembrances of times and people from the past that made no sense to her. Her eyes closed and her body trembled as he leaned forward toward her. When he spoke, his warm breath caused goose bumps to form on the delicate skin of her neck.

"Would you offer your throat to wolf with the red roses?" he inquired, kissing her neck.

Akane gasped as memories of the two of them flipped through her mind. It had not been a dream! It had been real! She felt like some parts had purposely been omitted from her memory but that did not concern her. She remembered him and apparently he remembered her. "Are we the only ones who remember?"

"Jushiro does. He's the one who performed a spell to clear the memories of Rangiku and Momo. Certain memories have been cleared from you as well. We wanted you to remember only the good things," he said, swallowing hard. It seemed his memory had been left completely intact. "It is over. It was the last thing Urahara did for us," he whispered as tears sprang to his eyes. "We ended the curse. It is over, my love."

Akane looked down at the object he held in his hand. The rose ring sparkled beautifully in the harsh fluorescent light of the room; her ring.

"Will you still marry me?" Shunsui inquired, picking up her hand. Once again, he waited for the answer.

"Yes," Akane answered, pulling his lips to hers after he placed the ring on her finger.

"Akane, I – oops!" Rangiku exclaimed when she had walked back in the door to stumble upon the romantic scene. "I am so SO sorry!" Her face burned bright red as she struggled not to laugh.

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked her glowing red friend.

"Uh, I really can't remember," she answered, turning to leave.

They both laughed at that. Sometimes not being able to remember was a very good thing. However, they had the love they would remember for a lifetime – no more werewolves involved.

_**And does he love me?**_

_**Yes**_


End file.
